Something I Wanted To Tell You
by ShadowKing1988
Summary: Ash and Co. are in Sinnoh, May is challenging her rivals in Johto, and Max has begun his journey in Hoenn. But when the major crime syndicate heads come together to plan a global takeover, everybody must reunite to stop the threat and revive past feelings
1. The Rising Menace

**Chapter 1: The Rising Menace**

The executive sat in his office, sipping coffee from the mug he held in his hands. He stared out the window. Viridian City was as lively as it usually was in the early afternoon. Beyond the edges of town, the executive could see the timberline edge of Viridian Forest, amongst other natural landscapes common to the Kanto region.

Setting his beverage down on its coaster on his desk, he stroked the Persian napping beside his chair. He presently recalled how this Persian came to his side. There had been a time when it was a Meowth that stood faithfully beside his master. But this Persian and that Meowth were two different beings. A few years ago, he entrusted his servant to two promising new recruits. For a time, they brought him nothing but success. But all good things come to an end, and this case was no exception. It was not long after they had become wanted criminals by the authorities that they fell into disfavor. It was not because they were criminals, though. Indeed, he had several people in his employ that were wanted by the authorities. No, he distrusted them because they became failures almost in the blink of an eye. Around that time, they reported a Pokémon Center snatch-and-run that turned sour when a new Pokémon trainer foiled their attempted robbery and sent them blasting sky-high. Since then, they not only failed to achieve any level of success, but they persistently begged him for loans (almost all of which were never repaid).

The executive himself never experienced such failures. When he became an adult, he was taken into the employ of the very syndicate founded by his mother, all those decades ago. He was strong, confident, and radiated the makings of a leader. It was no surprise to anyone, therefore, when the old woman named him her successor upon her retirement. He had, since then, taken the syndicate to new heights, and before long, it was a well-known organization. Smiling, the executive took another sip from his coffee and remembered the successes that brought him to where he was today, who he was today. He was Giovanni. The head of Team Rocket, and the Gym Leader of Viridian City (he didn't consider the latter title legitimate, as he was often too busy to meet with trainers seeking their Earth Badge).

Presently, his musings were interrupted by his secretary announcing on the desktop intercom that the guests had arrived. Giovanni acknowledged this, and had the visitors sent into his office. He had been expecting them. By chance, he had encountered other syndicate heads in recent weeks, and they all acknowledged their desire to meet and discuss interests. Though each syndicate ran its own agenda, all sought one thing: total world domination. Giovanni looked at each of his three guests. They stood side by side. From left to right, there was Archie, the head of Team Aqua, hailing from the Hoenn region. Next to him stood Cyrus, the head of Team Galactic, hailing from the Sinnoh region. And then, Maxie, head of Team Magma, also of the Hoenn region. It was known to Giovanni and Cyrus that there were tensions between Archie and Maxie, as well as their respective factions. _These two will need serious motivation if they are to work together. Only united can we pull this off_, Giovanni pondered.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I assume you all know why you are here. We have matters to discuss. Matters…of a most pressing nature. Before we begin, may I offer anyone anything to drink?"

Each syndicate executive partook of the proffered generosity. Once everyone had received their desired beverages, they all sat around the desk. They plotted the afternoon away. By the time the plan was finalized, and everyone had taken their leave, the sun was setting on the horizon, burning the sky a fiery orange color. It was decided. Each syndicate would perform its specialty in the major regions of the world. Soon, everyone in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions would be under the control of the executives. And each team would provide backup for one another. It was a great plan. Every conceivable problem was amended out of the equation.

_If all goes smoothly, and we all support each other, then the world shall soon know its masters_. Giovanni finished the paperwork at his desk, then headed home. He was satisfied with the turnout of things. A master plan. And nobody capable of resistance.


	2. A Night Under The Stars

**Chapter 2: A Night Under The Stars**

**Author's Note: This story takes place at the current point in the anime series. I'm also going to assume that the characters' ages are as follows: Brock-18, Ash-15, May-13, Drew-13, Dawn-10, and Max-10. Sorry for the interruption.**

Ash Ketchum sat on the makeshift log bench. He, Brock, and Dawn had been travelling most of the day, and decided an hour ago to stop at this clearing for the night. Ash was excited. Tomorrow, they'd arrive in Veilstone City, where Ash would challenge the gym leader, Maylene, for the Cobble Badge (which would be his third Sinnoh League Badge). But that was another day, another time.

Presently, the smell of Brock's cooking filled Ash's nose. His stomach gave a low rumble, making him realize just how hungry he was. It had been several hours since his last meal. Brock, who was putting the finishing touches, looked up from his work and gave his longtime friend a smile.

"Don't worry, Ash, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Brock. I've been looking forward to this meal since lunch!" Both boys had a good laugh at this statement.

"Say, Ash, why don't you go find Dawn and tell her to come back to camp? I'd prefer nobody going hungry tonight."

Ash nodded, and headed off into the trees near the trail. A short distance in the forest, Ash came upon a clearing, where he saw Dawn. When they had camp set up, Dawn came here to work on training her Pokémon for the contest in town, and borrowed Ash's Pikachu for this purpose. Ash wasn't the only one who had plans for Veilstone City. From what Ash could see, Pikachu had a bit of a bout against Buneary. The two looked as if they could go on for a short while longer, however. Ash had no intention of letting them continue, though.

"Hey Dawn, Brock's got the food ready!"

"Ok, Ash, I'll be right there!"

By the time the aspiring Pokémon trainer and dark blue-haired coordinator arrived back in camp and let their companions out of their pokéballs, Brock had distributed everyone's food. They all sat around their campfire and enjoyed Brock's stew. As usual, Brock's cooking received no complaints and plenty of cheery compliments.

After dinner, Ash went to the nearby stream to refill canteens while Brock and Dawn washed up. At this point, the sun had set entirely, but it was not too difficult to see anything. Returning to camp, Ash laid out his sleeping bag on the grassy ground, while Dawn and Brock got themselves set up around the dying fire. They felt like tonight was a perfect night to sleep under the stars.

Ash was awake for a few moments after his companions fell asleep. Pikachu, who was also dozing, slept in his own sleeping bag, which had little lightning bolt designs on it. Ash stared up at the night sky. The half-moon shone brightly amongst the countless stars. As he felt himself losing consciousness, Ash wondered if anyone else was looking at the same nighttime sky. Then everything went black as Ash fell into deep slumber.

* * *

May's mind was too active for her to fall asleep yet. She reflected on what had happened to her in recent weeks. It all began when she went to Johto to compete in contests. Her decision separated her from Ash, who went to the Sinnoh region, Brock, who went home to Pewter City, and Max, who was back home in Petalburg City in the Hoenn region. 

She started her own journey in Violet City, where she defeated Harley in the contest, her Squirtle trouncing his Ariados. Then came the long, ardous trek through the Union Cave and sidestop to Slowpoke Well before arriving in Azalea Town. There, she faced off against Drew, where his Absol defeated her Munchlax. Now, they both were headed toward the contest in Goldenrod City. To get there, however, May would have to pass through the ever dark Ilex forest. Drew had offered to accompany her through the woods and into town. May accepted this offer. _He may be my rival in these competitions, but there's a definite charm about him_, May thought.

Looking around, she saw the embers of their campfire. Opposite the fire pit, Drew lay sleeping. May smiled. Traveling was tough enough. Going alone made things more difficult, and May was never really happy without someone to travel with. She was glad Drew kept her company through the forest. Tomorrow, they'd be in Goldenrod, entering the contest. After that…who knew.

May's eyelids grew heavy at this time – sleep was finally coming to her. She laid her head on her pillow, but before she drifted off into oblivion, she looked up at the night sky. The moon was only half-full this night, shining brightly along with the stars. _I wonder who else sees what I'm seeing_. Unable to stay awake any longer, May fell into the depths of sleep.

She did not know it, but somewhere else, someone was looking at the same sky and wondering the same thing.

* * *

**So how's my work so far? I have chosen a song to go along with this scene. It's "Wake Up Screaming" by Paul Stanley (yes, the Paul Stanley of KISS) on his solo album "Live to Win". If you have neither the album nor the song, and would like to hear it, go to YouTube and use keywords Paul Stanley Wake Up Screaming. Remember, listening to music throughout this story is optional, but adds something extra to the overall effect, so I recommend this course of action. Anyway, when you're ready, go on to chapter 3.**


	3. Humble Beginnings

**Chapter 3: Humble Beginnings**

The sun rose on Petalburg City and shone its radiance to the world. As it did, the town started coming to life. In houses, people were waking up and preparing themselves for another day. Women would cook breakfasts and pack lunches for their working husbands and children who had another day of school ahead of them. In short, Petalburg was waking up to a day almost like any other.

It was not a normal day for Max. Sunlight crept into the ten year-old's room and into his face, causing him to awaken. Although groggy, Max knew today was an important day. Because he was now ten years old, he was old enough to begin his Pokémon journey. His current excitement was fueled by memories of his adventures throughout the Hoenn region with his sister and her friends. Finally, he would have his own partners and his own adventures. His experiences left him unsure whether to be a trainer or a coordinator. Then again, nothing prevented him from being both, so he decided to take the Hoenn League challenge, while participating in the occasional contest.

As Max bathed and dressed, he lamented one thing: he would be alone this time around. It still pained him to think about the day he left the group to go home to the Petalburg with May. Ash left for Pallet Town (soon after heading on a new adventure to take the Sinnoh League challenge) and Brock went home to Pewter City to check on his family. And recently, May had left for the Johto region, where she planned to compete against her rivals in the contests there. There'd be no sister to pester or brothers-in-spirit to look up to.

Yet Max was also filled with hope. As a new trainer, he'd have to travel around to find new partners and win gym challenges (or contests). Perhaps one day soon, he'd see them all again.

Caroline, Max's mother, had prepared a special breakfast for her son. She was joined by her husband, Norman, who was the town's own gym leader. They sat down to a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and berry juice.

"So, today's the big day, huh Max?" Caroline smiled at her youngest child.

"Yes, Mom. I've been waiting for this day ever since I traveled around with May and her friends."

"Well, good luck to you, son. I know you'll do great at anything you try for!" Norman beamed.

"Thanks, Dad."

After breakfast, Max packed up his necessary gear and set out for Professor Birch's lab. The lab, located in Littleroot Town, was not too far from Petalburg, and since Max, in his excitement, ran most of the way, he was at the lab an hour after heading out.

"Why, good morning, Max, it's good to see you again!" the professor greeted the newcomer.

"Good morning, Professor Birch." Max panted.

"You look like you got here as quickly as you could."

"Well, I'm just so excited to begin my journey. I couldn't wait to get here!"

"In that case, come with me. I will introduce you to three potential partners."

Professor Birch led Max into a large room. In the middle, there was a table with three pokéballs on it. Professor Birch showed Max each ball (identifiable by a red, blue, or green square beneath it). He could choose the fiery Torchic, the grassy Treecko, or the watery Mudkip.

Max though carefully, but didn't take too long to make his choice. He remembered May's Torchic and how it eventually became a Blaziken. Then he recalled the changes in Ash's starter from a Treecko into a Sceptile. Max knew Brock had a Mudkip, but unlike its partner, never reached its final form. Curious to see what the final form was like, Max made up his mind. And Mudkip became Max's first legitimate Pokémon partner. Professor Birch agreed that Max made a wise choice.

After hearing advise from the professor on training tips and care for Pokémon, as well as receiving a pokédex, Max began the trek back to Petalburg, where his journey would truly begin. He ran home and arrived in Petalburg with the same timing as his first trip. Max went to the house to show Norman and Caroline his new partner and exchange farewells and promises of maintaining contact.

As he stood at the outskirts of Petalburg City, he looked back. He wasn't sad to leave home – he'd been gone for long periods before this. What concerned him, though, was what would happen when he returned. Max knew that if his business as a Pokémon trainer brought him back here, he'd have to face off against his father in a gym battle. Max still remembered the tantrum he threw when Ash beat his dad. He had snagged the badge from his father's hands and hid in the shed, crushed by the fact his dad was no longer invincible. In the end, he conceded he was being childish and gave the badge to Ash. Since then, he accepted his father's loss to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. But what if Norman, the gym leader of Petalburg City, lost a battle to his own flesh and blood?

Max decided not to dwell on the thought. He'd cross that bridge when the time came. For now, it was off into the Hoenn wilderness. Off to a new start.

* * *

In the constant shadows of Ilex Forest, something stirred. It was not a Pokémon, but a human. Garbed in green, his long purple hair hung by his shoulders. His green eyes strained to see the path in the darkness. He looked up, but the canopy was so thick, it blocked out almost all of the sun's rays. Therefore, time seemed to stand still in this forsaken place.

He trudged on, wiggling his hips as he walked, stubbing his toes on an unseen root every now and then. He cursed the trees and the darkness that seemed intent on keeping him in here. But he was determined not to be trapped in here.

His Banette led the way. As a ghost-type, it could see much better in the dark than its master could. Banette would find a way out of this dense forest. That was its sole focus for the time being.

But the man had something besides the forest trek on his mind. He wanted revenge.

He came to Johto from the Hoenn region as a coordinator. Things were fine until he faced off against that brunette in Violet City. He'd lost to this particular individual on several earlier occasions, so she was a major thorn in his side. He wished to dispose of her, to keep her from participating in future contests.

Then there was the contest in Azalea Town. It was in the semi-final round when he faced off against a boy in his early teens. This coordinator, who had short green hair and matching eyes, sent his Octillery flying and his points dropping to zero. Before the end, this punk would have to be taken out of the picture, as well.

The man tripped over a particularly large root in the road, and fell flat on his face. He got up, and he snapped in his mind. This forest, no, this journey was a total nightmare. He'd had enough.

"AUGH! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?! HUH?! WHAT DID HARLEY DO?! ANSWER ME!!!"

As he started to move, his foot slipped on the bank of the forest's lake, and Harley tumbled into the water. Banette, who watched the fiasco, didn't know whether to laugh or pity his master.

"Oh, even this forest has got something coming to it!" Harley growled. He was down at his lowest low. His patience was frayed. He had lost two contests to mere adolescents. Now, he was stuck in a dark forest, soaking wet and bruised from the uneven road.

"When I get outta here, they'll all pay dearly for their insults!" he said through gritted teeth as he climbed out of the lake onto the path.


	4. Trouble On The Double!

**Chapter 4: Trouble On The Double!**

When Meowth opened his eyes, he knew it was mid-morning. The Sinnoh sun shone brightly in the sky and was clear over the horizon, but not yet fully at its daily peak.

On either side of Meowth were Jessie and James. Both were still deep in slumber, but Meowth had to wake them up. A lost day would mean making no progress. And no progress would be ill news as far as the boss was concerned. Stretching out his stiff joints, Meowth took a deep breath.

"C'mon, you two! Da sun's up high in the sky, and we've got lotsa woik ta do!"

Unfortunately for Meowth, this reveille call was met with an undesired response.

"You know how important it is that I get my eight hours of beauty-sleep," the long red-haired Rocket sighed, still not entirely awake.

The short blue-haired James rolled over. "Five more minutes, Mom."

Meowth sweatdropped and sighed. Then, donning a look of determination on his face, he extended his razor-sharp claws. "Ok, guess I gotta do this, then!"

A couple of swipes at the faces of his dozing comrades proved more than ample enough to awaken them. As was to be expected, neither Jessie nor James were happy to be woken this way.

"OWCH! Meowth, what was that for?!" Jessie fumed at the scratchcat Pokémon.

"Yeah Meowth, what gives?" James huffed, rubbing his bleeding face.

"We got the whole day aheada us, an' we can't sleep all day! We mustn't anger da boss!" Meowth retorted.

Jessie and James looked at each other, then looked at Meowth with apologetic faces and embarrassed smiles. They were both blushing.

Now that they were all awake, the brushed off the dust from their white uniforms and washed their faces in the nearby pond. They didn't know what they'd do today, but knew that before the day's end, they'd have a bold new plan to capture Pikachu. Oh, how delighted the boss would be!

Suddenly, a rustling came from the trees on either side of the road ahead of them. The rustling was soon accompanied by human voices.

"Prepare for trouble and make it double!" a man's voice called out from one side.

"To infect the world with devastation," a woman's voice cried in response from the other side of the road.

"To blight all peoples in every nation."

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above."

"Cassidy!" Suddenly, a woman with long orange hair jumped into view. She was wearing a black Team Rocket uniform.

"Butch!" A man with short green hair jumped out of the trees and onto the road, landing beside the woman. He was also wearing a black Team Rocket outfit.

"We're Team Rocket, circling the earth all day and night!" Cassidy cried.

"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight!" Butch exclaimed.

One of their pokéballs snapped open, and a large brown rat came out. "Raticate!" It finished the motto.

* * *

_Giovanni stood on the balcony of his office building. He'd just gotten off the phone with Cyrus. __On the plus side, many of the affiliates of Teams Rocket, Aqua, Magma, and Galactic were dispersed throughout the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions. Team Rocket would steal Pokémon from any who might resist the takeover proceedings, while Teams Aqua, Magma, and Galactic would hold the seas, lands, and even the entire universe at their mercy. Submission would be the order of the day. Insubordination would result in a dreadful end. _

_However, there were loose ends to be tied down. Maxie and Archie's rivalry was still in full swing, and it took the combined effort of Giovanni and Cyrus to persuade them to continue with the operation. They agreed, but grudgingly so. _I'll need to keep a close eye on that loose cannon,_ Giovanni sighed._

_A thought then crossed his mind. One other serious issue. _My wayward associates._ Too much was hanging in the balance. Too much to risk losing everything to the severe incompetence of three buffoons. __Giovanni had a bargain to uphold, same as Cyrus, Maxie, and Archie. _This will not go over well with the others if Jesse, James, and Meowth find a way of screwing this up. I'll have to find some way to defuse this ticking time-bomb,_ he thought. _

_The next wave in his train-of-thought made him smile, and he nearly chuckled. _"Of course, Butch and Cassidy!" _Giovanni knew well of the accomplishments of Butch and Cassidy. They had only ever been able to bring glory to the Team Rocket name. Unlike a certain trio. _Yes,_ Giovanni though,_ Butch and Cassidy will be more than capable of keeping those clowns in line.

_He placed his finger on the intercom button and spoke into the receiver. _

"Attention. May Butch and Cassidy please report to the main office? I repeat, may Butch and Cassidy please report to the main office?"

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?!" Jessie shouted. She shot a cold glare at her orange-haired rival.

"Who are you to come storming here with that attitude? That motto's copyright stuff, we worked day and night on it! You have no right to such a parody!" James fumed. Meowth sighed; James, in his rage, was getting the wrong end of the stick. These were Butch and Cassidy, after all – their bitter rivals. Their tactics were so different that they could not stand to see each other as fellow Rockets.

Butch spoke up. "If you must know, the great Giovanni sent us here to keep you three in line. I'm not personally into hanging out with rookies ("ROOKIES?!" Jessie screamed. Butch merely brushed her hostility off), but the boss says he can't let you screw up his plans this time, Jimmy boy."

"The name is James, thank you very much! And I'd appreciate it if you would remember it for once, Hutch," James snorted.

"That's 'Butch' to you, Jimmy John!" the green-eyed Rocket shot back.

"James! James! The name is James! Why don't you remember what I just told you?! I said my name's James!" Meowth, who watched the heated exchange from the sidelines with interest and amusement, thought he could pick out the hurt in his partner's angry exclamation.

"That'll do it, gentlemen." Cassidy piped up. She turned to face her three incompetent brethren.

"You don't want us here, and we don't want to be here, but the boss has been looking for you. He says he needs you for his latest undertaking, and that you'll be under our watchful eyes!"

"Oh, is that so? And what might this plan be?" Jessie inquired.

Cassidy gave a silent giggle and smiled a malicious smile. "You'll see in due time."

"Let's get moving, you three," Butch added.

Jessie, James, and Meowth shot nervous glances at each other and gulped. They despised, if not dreaded, being underlings to the likes of Butch and Cassidy, so arrogant were they. But if the boss had indeed sent them, then they'd best follow his orders.

Butch and Cassidy took the lead and began heading down the trail. But before the Rocket trio could move, they took one look back.

"Count yourself lucky you get to see another day, twerps…" James whispered in the direction he was facing.

"…But soon we'll be back…" Jessie added.

"…And then, we'll nab your Pokémon!" Meowth finished.

They turned back to the road, and as they began walking slowly behind Butch and Cassidy, they whispered to themselves, "Looks like Team Rocket's marching off again!"


	5. Anticipated Win, Unexpected Gain Part 1

**Chapter 5: Anticipated Win, Unexpected Gain (Part 1)**

Little did Team Rocket know that, on the other side of the densely forested grove they just looked at, Ash and his friends were getting their journey underway once more. Everybody woke up early that morning, excited for the big day ahead. They ate pancakes and berry juice for breakfast. Dawn fed poffins to the Pokémon. After cleaning up, they packed their gear and continued on toward Veilstone City.

Ash looked at Brock and Dawn as they walked. Today felt like a promising one, and Ash wanted his friends to be there for his successes. Brock was a good mentor to him, so surely he'd enjoy seeing his words of wisdom put into use. And Dawn was there for emotional support. She'd always cheered him on, even when things were grim.

The rest of the way to town was short. Only an hour after setting off, they were in Veilstone City. There were many buildings in sight. The main three of interest were the gym, the contest hall, and the Pokémon center. They all stood gazing at all the sights. Brock finally broke the silence.

"So, what shall we do first, now that we're here?"

"I wanna go to the gym so I can win a Cobble Badge!" Ash said excitedly.

"Pi Pikachu!" The small yellow mouse perched on Ash's shoulder chimed in.

"Fine with me. The contest doesn't even start for another two hours, anyway, so we have plenty of time." Dawn said.

Ash smiled. "All right then, let's get going! C'mon, we can run there!"

He began running towards the gym. Brock and Dawn chased after him.

"Do you think Ash is being maybe a bit overconfident?" Dawn shouted to Brock as she ran.

"No, but I think his ego's about to outgrow his head!" Brock joked.

They both laughed as the three stopped at the gym's doors. They went inside.

To Ash, the inside of the gym looked like a fighting dojo. A large, hardwood floor was at the center of the chamber, with the standard Pokéball design painted at its center. At the other end from where they stood, a red-haired woman wearing a blue tank-top and white baggy pants appeared to be practicing some punching and kicking maneuvers. She stopped when she became aware of visitors.

"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there at first. Please forgive me. I am Maylene, the leader of the Veilstone City gym."

"Hi there! I'm Ash Ketchum, and these are my pals, Brock and Dawn."

Brock and Dawn both greeted the gym leader, who returned their greetings. Maylene turned back to Ash, who she knew was here to challenge her to a gym battle.

"So you have come for a gym battle, eh?"

"That's right." Ash smiled.

"All right. But I will do the best I can as gym leader. I take battling very seriously!" Maylene said.

Brock, who stood on the sidelines as commentator, began the traditional explanation of battle.

"This gym battle is between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Maylene of the Veilstone City Pokémon gym. This will be a one-on-one battle. Each trainer will use two Pokémon. The first person to eliminate the opposing team shall be the winner. Let the battle begin!"

Maylene held a pokéball in her hand. "I'll start. Go, Meditite!" She threw the ball onto the gym floor, where it opened with a flash of light. A small blue and white creature appeared on the gym floor.

Ash had never seen the small Pokémon before, and his curiosity led him to whip out his pokédex to get a reading.

"Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon. Meditite eat only one berry a day, experiencing hunger to build endurance. Its spiritual power is built through daily meditation."

Ash felt a surge of confidence as he lobbed a ball onto the gym floor. "C'mon out, Turtwig!"

"Turtwig!" The green turtle-like Pokémon exclaimed.

**(Author's Note: For the following battle sequences, I recommend the song "Live to Win" by Paul Stanley. If you don't have it, use YouTube keywords Paul Stanley Live to Win. Back to the story…)**

Maylene made the first move. "Meditite, use your drain punch attack!"

"Meditite!" The small humanoid Pokémon charged towards Turtwig, her fist glowing brightly.

"Turtwig, dodge it and use razor leaf!"

"Turtwig!" Meditite slammed her fist into the hard ground just as Turtwig went airborne. Mid-flight, Turtwig turned to face his opponent as he landed. He then shot several small razor-sharp leaves at Meditite. The missiles made contact, knocking her back to her half of the ring. However, Meditite got up.

"Meditite, try a confusion attack!"

Meditite's eyes glowed a light purple color. Suddenly, Turtwig was hit with a blast of purple energy. He shook off the attack.

"Turtwig, use vine whip!"

Two vines extended from Turtwig's back and wrapped themselves around Meditite's torso. The meditate Pokémon was then hoisted into the air and sent slamming into the ground.

Grunting, Meditite attempted to get back up. "Med…i…tite!" She fainted onto the floor with a dazed look in her eyes.

"Meditite is unable to battle. Turtwig wins this round!" Brock announced.

"Yay, Ash! Show Maylene what you've got!" Dawn cheered.

Maylene recalled her fainted partner into her ball. "You did great, Meditite. You've earned your rest. Guess I'm in a bit of a bind, aren't I?" She turned her attention to Ash as she readied another pokéball. "But this isn't the end, my friend! I've only just begun! Lucario, use force palm on that Turtwig!"

The coyote-like Pokémon appeared on the gym floor, and with a cry of "Lucario!", ran at full speed towards his opponent.

"Quick Turtwig, dodge it!"

Before Turtwig could move, however, Lucario sent his paw crashing down onto Turtwig's back.

"Turtwig! Are you okay?" Ash asked his combatant.

"Hang in there, Turtwig!" Dawn called.

Their words of encouragement had no effect, though. As he tried to get up, Turtwig's strength failed him, and he collapsed onto his belly.

"Turtwig is unable to battle. Lucario is the winner of this round. Each combatant is down to their last Pokémon." Brock shouted for everyone to hear.

"You did great, Turtwig. Return!" Ash pointed his pokéball at his fainted companion, and Turtwit disappeared in a red beam that receded into the ball. Ash returned the ball to its place on his belt. Brock was right – he could only use one more Pokémon in his attempt to defeat Maylene's Lucario. He smiled as he made his choice.

"Pikachu! I choose you!"

"Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder onto the ground. He stood on all four limbs and faced his adversary with a look of determination on his face.

"Pikachu, use quick attack!"

As Pikachu began his speedy attack, Maylene gave a command to her partner.

"Lucario, intercept it with bone rush!"

Lucario produced a previously unseen bone and brandished it like a bat. However, Pikachu's movement was too fast, and the electric mouse became aware of his opponent's intentions just in time, and make the attack into an evasive maneuver. Lucario swung the bone several times, but the mouse Pokémon was just too fast. Lucario was panting as Pikachu came to a halt.

"Now Pikachu! Use thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Pika! Pika-CHUUU!" The yellow mouse drew upon the energy stored in his cheeks and landed a direct hit on Lucario. The aura Pokémon shrieked as electrical pulses shot throughout his body. Exhausted and unable to take any more damage, Lucario fainted onto the floor. The battle was over.

"Lucario is unable to battle! The victory of this match goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Brock shouted. He then turned to his traveling buddy. "Hey, congratulations, Ash!"

"Thanks, Brock."

"Oh, Ash, you were simply amazing out there!" Dawn ran up to Ash and hugged him.

"Uh, thanks, Dawn…" Ash said, slowly returning the gesture. He had to admit to himself, though, that he kind of wanted to do this for the past couple days. Maybe even tell her how he felt. Maybe now was—

Dawn broke the embrace as Maylene walked up to Ash.

"Hey Maylene, that was a great battle there!" Ash said.

"Yes, it was. I shall admit defeat – you are very strong, Ash. You win. That was a tough loss. However, I learned much from it. For that, I am grateful. Here, take this badge as proof that you beat me."

Maylene reached into her pocket and withdrew something in her fist. As Ash held out his hand, Maylene placed a small orange square into his waiting palm. This square, which resembled several bricks separated by white borders, was the one and only Cobble Badge.

Ash could not contain his joy. "All right! I got a Cobble Badge!" He exclaimed.

Brock sweatdropped at his younger friend's dramatics. Dawn looked at Maylene and giggled out of embarrassment.

Maylene said nothing, but smiled.

* * *

A short while later, the trio were in the cafeteria of the Pokémon center, where they were munching on the midday meal. Ash had left all of his Pokémon with Nurse Joy, and was told they'd be returned to him in the evening. Ash was still overjoyed as he thought about the latest addition to his badge collection. Three Sinnoh League badges now resided just inside his vest. Each one an indicator of his growth and progress.

Across the table, Dawn wasn't as cheery. Although she was successfully hiding it from her friends, she was very nervous about the upcoming contest. She had signed up after they left the gym on their way here. There weren't too many entrants, but there were some on the signup sheet who were more than likely worthy foes. Dawn tried not to dwell on unpleasant thoughts as she ate. She ate quickly. The contest would begin in less than an hour, and she'd need her strength. On top of that, she'd need a clear mind to make judgements. After all, strategy played a huge role in these kinds of competitions.

Presently, they finished their lunches and prepared for the second half of the day. This time, Dawn led the way to the contest hall. Her thought were focused entirely on how she could win. If memory served, there were enough entrants that two rounds would be necessary to declare a winner.

Brock guessed what Dawn was thinking. After all, he'd spent years raising his younger siblings during his parents estrangement. Though his father, Flint, stepped in to raise the family and let Brock go on his journey (and his mother, Lola, much later), his parent-like senses were still sharp. He ran a short way to be alongside Dawn and give her any coaching she may need.

Ash paid no attention to this. His mind was also preoccupied with thoughts. Specifically, he thought about the scene in the gym following his victory. And it made sense to him, to an extent. It almost felt natural

Ash knew why he felt this way. It was shortly before he came to the Sinnoh region that he parted ways from Brock, May, and Max. Brock, of course, had since rejoined him. May was in Johto, challenging Drew and Harley in contests there. And young Max was in Hoenn. By Ash's reckoning, Max was probably ten now, and beginning his own journey. He still had Brock, but the absence of May and Max left him feeling empty, somehow. Back then, he felt drained of his spirit…and then he met Dawn. In the time they had traveled together, Dawn seemed to fill the gaps in his heart.

It was in this moment that Ash had an epiphany. He was in love with Dawn! He was sure of it. However, the feeling was strangely familiar. Something vague when he traveled with Misty, and felt stronger when he was around May. This was about the same level as with his last traveling companion. But now he knew what it was. The question was, did she feel the same way? _Only one way to find out. I need to tell her how I feel, and see how she reacts._

Ash thought about how to tell her when they arrived at the contest hall. The large building was plain yet exotic on the outside. It was the same concept inside.

The contest was not yet in progress, so they had a few minutes left. Ash and Dawn sat on the couch while Brock excused himself to find the restroom.

_This is it, Ash. This is your time to find out how she feels about me when I tell her how I feel._

Ash quickly and quietly took a deep breath and exhaled. Then he turned to face Dawn.

"Hey, Dawn?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Certainly. What is it?"

"It's really important, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't get mad or freak out when I tell it to you."

"I promise." Dawn smiled. She had a feeling where this was going.

"I just wanted to tell you that I lo—"

Ash's comment was cut short by a man's voice coming on over the intercom.

"Attention, all coordinators. Please head to the conference room, where you'll be designated to your assigned matches. The competitions are about to begin."

Dawn switched her attention from the speaker back to Ash.

"Sorry, you were saying?"

"Oh…uh…maybe later."

"Oh. Okay, then." Dawn had a look of slight disappointment on her face as she took her leave of Ash. _Maybe later, he'll tell me._

Ash sighed. On one hand, he felt like he had dodged a bullet. On the other hand, that announcement destroyed the perfect moment to tell her. Obviously, he couldn't tell her that just now, as she was gone. He hoped she'd win. If she lost, she'd be so upset that he doubted anything he said would cheer her up. In fact, it might even make the situation worse. Ash would just have to trust his luck and time to see when next he'd be able to talk to her alone.

Brock came back, looking relieved to have answered nature's call. He heard the announcement as he was finishing up in the men's room, so Dawn's absence was no surprise to him. What did surprise him, however, was Ash, who was clearly sulking. Obviously, something had happened during his hiatus. He wondered if he should talk to Ash about it, but decided against it, at least for now. Whatever was bothering Ash would need time to heal before he could even think of intervening. He took a seat next to Ash.

"Where'd Dawn go?" Brock asked, trying to open a conversation.

Ash hadn't noticed Brock till now. He almost jumped out of his seat.

"She's with the other coordinators, getting ready for the bouts."

"Well, let's find seats in the stadium. She'll be up soon, and we don't want to miss seeing her compete."

**(Author's Note: I have made a decision that may disappoint some of you. Since I described the gym battle with the detail that I did, I don't feel like describing Dawn's two contest battles, so I'll just summarize them here. Basically, Dawn uses her Pachirisu against another coordinator's Azumarill and wins the first round****. In the second round, she uses Piplup against an opponent's Bayleef and almost loses all her points. She wins, though, when she KO's the Bayleef. Brock and Ash gave plenty of encouragement throughout the whole thing. I'll now resume the story following the awards ceremony. Sorry!)**

With the awards ceremony concluded, the three left the contest hall. It was now late afternoon, and the sun was a bright orange color.

When they arrive back at the Pokémon center, they rented two rooms (Ash and Brock would share a two-bed room, while Dawn would have a single-bed room to herself). They then sat in the lobby and congratulated each on the day's triumphs. Brock stared longingly at Nurse Joy. Earlier, he had attempted to make small talk with her and confess his love, but Croagunk yanked him away by his ear. Even without Misty, May, or Max to intervene, Brock still couldn't get the time of day with any cute girls.

Ash got up to check on his Pokémon and those of Dawn. This left Brock alone with Dawn. Dawn had a long day, and she started nodding off on the couch they were sitting on. Brock looked at her with curiosity. _What happened at the contest hall earlier? _He wanted to ask, but thought better of the situation. She was tired. She needed to rest. At least till dinnertime.

Ash came back with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Brock nodded. He was pleased to see Ash's Pokémon were doing fine after this morning's battle.

Ash hardly sat down when his stomach gave an audible groan. Brock chuckled. Based on that noise, he knew it was mealtime, and he knew that Ash was hungry. Come to think of it, he was also famished. He shook Dawn awake, and together, they went to get dinner in the cafeteria.

After the meal, Brock's daily energy ran out, so he wished Ash and Dawn good night and retired to the room he was sharing with Ash. Pikachu, although fresh out of Nurse Joy's care, was also tired, and he followed Brock. Ash and Dawn weren't tired yet, though, so they decided to use the rest of their energy on an evening stroll.

They walked along the dark path. Trees grew on one side of the path. The other gave a clear view of the City at night.

Ash looked up. The moon was slightly smaller from what it was yesterday night, but took its usual place amongst the stars. Ash looked down to earth, down to Dawn. Now was the time to finish what he started in the contest hall. Dawn was thinking the same thing. She turned to Ash.

"So, Ash, what was it you were going to tell me earlier?"

"Promise me again that you won't get mad or freak out at what I'm about to tell you."

"I promise, Ash." She raised her hand as if taking an oath.

Ash took a deep breath and let it out before he started talking.

"You know, Dawn, that we've been traveling together for a while now. We've done a lot of things, and we've overcome many obstacles. But lately, I've been feeling as if something has been messing around inside of me, and…"

"Go on…"

"…And I didn't know what it was. It's a feeling that's entirely different from winning gym battles or getting out of one of Team Rocket's messes. But I think I know what it is now, and I'm fairly certain that what I feel is sincere to all ends."

"What is it, Ash?"

Ash gulped. His voice started becoming shaky. "Dawn, I-I-I think I-I-I-I'm in l-l-love with you!"

Dawn's eyes grew wide. But true to her word, she neither got mad nor panicked. Instead, she took him into an embrace.

"Oh, Ash!"

Ash hugged her back. "I love you, Dawn. I'm just saying what I feel right now."

Dawn looked into his eyes. "Can I tell YOU something, Ash?"

Ash looked slightly nervous, but was ready to face what was coming to him. "Go ahead."

"I love you too, Ash!"

They stared into each other's eyes. Then they drew their faces together. Their lips locked on the other's. In this moment, they didn't care about anything but each other. As they expressed their love to each other, their only witness was the surrounding environment and dark sky dotted with the waning moon and countless stars. It was the best of anything so far. It felt normal. Almost natural.

When Ash and Dawn went to sleep that night, they thought only of each other. If destiny stepped in, it would. But for now, they had each other. Ash had one more badge, Dawn had one more ribbon, and they both had each other. They woke up friends. They went to sleep as boyfriend and girlfriend. And nobody else knew. It was their secret to reveal to the world.


	6. Anticipated Win, Unexpected Gain Part 2

**Chapter 6: Anticipated Win, Unexpected Gain (Part 2)**

**That same day in Johto…**

"Drew, wait up! I don't have the stamina that you do!"

Drew looked back to see May running to catch up with him. In his mind, he was beginning to wonder why he offered to escort May from Azalea to Goldenrod in the first place. While having company was a nice change of pace from traveling alone, May wasn't the best hiking buddy. She took breaks almost every 20 feet, and became a habitual whiner only an hour after setting off from their campsite.

He sighed as May caught up to him.

"Thanks for waiting," May panted.

"Think nothing of it. We're almost in Goldenrod, anyway. Just a bit further north…"

"Aw, my legs are killing me! Why can't Goldenrod have been built closer to the forest's edge?"

Drew said nothing. As he turned to begin walking again, however, he felt compelled to roll his eyes. He couldn't stand her moaning, yet something kept him with her thus far.

To their east was a small stretch of beach as the city came into view just below their present location. Drew was relieved – he wasn't sure how much more he could take of May's complaints. They descended the hill and began the final stretch into town.

As the adolescents passed by, however, May caught sight of an unusual gathering. Two tall men were conversing on the beach. Although they were well out of earshot, May and Drew could see them clearly. One man wore black pants, a blue and white-striped t-shirt, and a blue bandana with a white A-shaped Unown design. The other man wore a black outfit that covered his whole body, complete with a black cap. His shirt had a large red letter R on it.

Both May and Drew were glad they were concealed in the bushes off the road. Who knew what would happen if those guards saw them? The two teens faced each other.

"It's Team Rocket and Team Aqua!" Drew said.

"I know. But I didn't know Team Aqua was here in Johto. What could they be doing?"

"I don't know, but it can't be good. We'd best be cautious while we're in town. There's bound to be more of them in the vicinity. They've probably got Team Magma here as well."

Moving slowly and deliberately, May and Drew slipped out of their hiding place and ran along the road, hoping they weren't seen. They ran the rest of the way into town. Goldenrod was a huge city, but it was strangely empty, considering it was about noon.

Before they could ponder what twisted fate had befallen the city, however, a Magma guard came into view from behind a building up ahead. Drew slipped into an alley and pulled May in after him. They stood silently until the guard passed by. Drew kept watch until the guard was out of sight. Once he became convinced no more guards would pass by for a while, he instructed May to come out of their hiding place.

The town was not entirely empty, they now knew, but something was definitely amiss. Why were Teams Rocket, Aqua, and Magma in town? They didn't know where to go. Everything looked bleak…

"Quick, in here, you two!" a feminine voice called from a doorway a short distance from them. They dashed to the door, and got inside just as another guard came into sight. They turned around and saw that their savior was a tall young woman, dressed in white clothes. Her short hair was a pinkish-red color, and was separated into two pigtails.

"Thank you for finding us, miss…?" May started.

"Whitney. Pleased to meet you. I am the gym leader of Goldenrod City. And who might you two be?"

"I'm May, and this is my friend, Drew. We're Pokémon coordinators from the Hoenn region. We came here to participate in the contest, but something's going on here from the looks of things."

"What's going on, Whitney?" Drew inquired.

"It's a bit of a story, I'm afraid. Do make yourselves at home. Can I get you some tea?" Whitney asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks." Drew said.

* * *

May and Drew sat down together on two chairs in the small room. Other than a table and a chair on the opposite side, this didn't appear to be more than a room intended for entertaining guests.

"Something strange is going on here, Drew…" May said, her tone slightly fearful.

Drew wrapped his arm around her waist to give her support. "I think we'll get through this."

Whitney came back with a silver teapot, three teacups on saucers, a few staples of sugar and honey, and a carton of milk. Though she didn't say so, Whitney was proud of the milk – her uncle, Milton, had a farm just outside town where he had a herd of Miltank. Whitney poured out tea in each cup and handed one to each person. After everyone had received their beverage and modified it to their preference, Whitney began her tale.

"Everything here was fine until a few days ago. Suddenly, there were Rockets all over the place, pickpocketing tourists' Pokéballs and robbing the establishments here and in the underground. If that wasn't bad enough, some thugs garbed in red and calling themselves 'Team Magma' started patrolling our streets and the town's outskirts. At about this same time, some people wearing sailors' clothes and referring to themselves as 'Team Aqua' began closing roadways and waylaying travelers and trainers alike. To top it all off, some group with green hair and silvery outfits took over the radio tower. Here, they're on the air even now!"

Whitney turned to turn on a radio on the counter. After adjusting the tuning and volume knobs accordingly, a raspy woman's voice was audible.

"…Once more, the elite footsoldiers of Team Galactic would like to remind everyone to stay indoors, as it is unsafe to be outside during this time. We shall alert you to any changes in the curfew as they become relevant. It is impor—" Whitney shut the radio off at this point.

"They've taken control of the airways and phone lines, so we've been unable to send for help from the nearby police station. We only get to be out of our houses for only a few hours each evening, and everybody's too scared to do much."

"Who is this 'Team Galactic'?" Drew questioned Whitney.

After letting out a small sigh, Whitney shrugged. "I don't know. They were the last folks to arrive here, and the only thing we've been able to learn is that they come from the Sinnoh region."

May thought a moment, then presented a suggestion to the group.

"What if we tried going for help? You said there's a police station nearby, right? We should go there."

Drew nodded. "Somebody's gotta do something, or things probably won't get any better than they are now."

Whitney spoke after a brief pause. "I…I guess we could try. But I don't want to think what'll happen to us if we get caught."

Whitney opened the door to check if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, the three exited the house and moved quickly to the north of town, ducking out of sight every time a guard made the rounds. This happened a couple times, and it took over ten minutes for them to reach the other end of the city. Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. The police station was not far off, and Officer Jenny was armed with several Pokémon and a legion of policemen. They would prove more than enough to get the red rogues off the streets.

Just before they could get out of the city limits, however, a pair of Rockets stepped into their route.

"What's your bus – Hey, what're you doing here?! Don't you know that there's a curfew in effect right now?!" one of them shouted.

"Guess we'll have to teach these runts a lesson in pain, then," his accomplice agreed, and the both called out their Pokémon. Whitney, May, and Drew stood facing a snarling Houndour and an agitated Charmeleon.

May had expected to meet resistance, and called her Blaziken onto the battlefield, where she was joined by Roselia and Miltank. The Rocket duo did not seem concerned about the three-on-two odds.

"Houndour, crunch that rosebush!"

"Charmeleon, use flamethrower on that Miltank!"

"Blaziken, use rock smash on Charmeleon!"

"Roselia, put that Houndour to sleep with sleep powder!"

Houndour rushed at Drew's Roselia and bit down hard on his arm, but was soon asleep after inhaling the spore cloud generated by Roselia's roselike fists. Blaziken, meanwhile, picked up a large rock and smashed it over Charmeleon's head just as the flaming lizard began breathing fire in Miltank's direction.

"Now, Roselia, finish Houndour off with solarbeam!"

"Miltank, roll 'em out!"

Roselia's powerful beam shot from its mouth at its dozing foe, sending the dark/fire type crashing into a nearby tree. Whitney's Miltank began somersaulting towards Charmeleon, gaining speed and force as it rolled along.

"Charmeleon, dodge it and use your ember attack now!"

Charmeleon jumped out of the path of the oncoming ball, and spat hot sparks at the still moving cow. The resulting hit stopped Miltank mid-trajectory. It had been a while since Miltank last battled, so she was hurting bad. Charmeleon sensed this, and began a fire kick.

May had to act fast. "Blaziken, use fire blast!" Blaziken shot a branching figure of flames at Charmeleon, striking just as the cur began sending its flaming foot onto Miltank's head. The dazed fire-type went flying into both Rockets with enough momentum to send them all crashing into some trees. Both guards moaned before losing consciousness.

"Great work, let's get going before more of them show up." Whitney instructed.

* * *

The police station was a short distance from where they'd battled, and once inside, they filed the report. May tended to the Pokémon as Whitney explained the situation in town and Drew reported on the presence of patrol guards.

Officer Jenny jotted down each fact as they were presented to her. May could see that she was disturbed by the news but relieved that someone came forth and told the town's woes. Once everything was fully discussed, Jenny rallied her fellow law enforcement officials, and in droves set off for town. Indeed, there were so many of them that none could doubt their capability of emptying the streets, though the main fortifications would need reinforcements. That would come later – the townsfolk had lived in horrid conditions long enough. The time to act was now.

As the last of the officers drove off in their cars and motorcycles, Whitney stood outside with May and Drew. They were worthy trainers, and their efforts should not go unrewarded.

"Hey you two, thanks for helping get that all squared away. I have something for you both. A couple things, actually."

Whitney started by handing each coordinator a small metallic square.

"Is this a…Plain Badge?" May asked. She remembered those nights when she first met Ash. He'd told her about all the adventures he'd had since getting his Pikachu and beginning his journey. _Where's the time gone?_ May wondered. Ash also came to mind as she recalled the origin of Team Galactic. _Sinnoh. That's where Ash is…_

Whitney smiled and nodded in response to her question. "That indeed is the Plain Badge. As the leader of the Goldenrod City Pokémon gym, it is my duty to give it to trainers that I feel are worthy to possess it. And, as one of the contest hall judges, I also have this…"

Whitney presented May and Drew with a contest ribbon. Drew stood dumbfounded – this was almost too generous a gift. May was thinking the same thing, but before she could speak, Whitney spoke again.

"I give you these ribbons not just because your Pokémon handled themselves exceedingly well, but also I give them as a token of our friendship."

"Oh…uh…T-Thanks, Whitney…" May choked. Drew was too stunned to speak, though both young women knew he was also grateful.

Whitney's smile faded. Her work here was done. Goldenrod needed the assistance of its gym leader.

"I'm so sorry, but I must be getting back now. I have an obligation as gym leader to act in times of trouble. You have my sincerest apologies – I didn't want any of this to happen. If not for you, I may well still be cooped up in that house! I suggest you flee as quickly as you can. If anyone got out of town, they'll surely follow you. Farewell!"

With that, Whitney ran after the long-gone officers. May and Drew looked each other. They didn't know what to make of the situation now. All they knew was that they'd have to get out of town, and fast.

Suddenly, a Magma guard came tumbling onto the road. He fell onto his side.

"Hey, you kids! Get back here this instant!"

Drew and May said nothing to the intruder. Instead, they took advantage of this small chance for a head start and took off down the road as quickly as their legs would carry them. The guard's shouts echoed behind them. He was on their heels, but they ran faster than him.

Both coordinators ran until the guard's voice could no longer be heard. Certain they had lost him, they stopped to catch their breath. Sweat trickled down their foreheads.

May looked at Drew, who in turn caught her gaze. Drew suddenly began laughing at May's expense. To May, Drew looked absolutely pathetic as he stood there, drenched in sweat and laughing. The laughter was contagious, and soon May was also having fun on Drew. The two laughed so hard they collapsed onto the ground. They laughed until their abdomens were sore.

May looked deeply into Drew's emerald eyes. They were wet from tears shed while laughing so hard. But even deeper, May saw a fierceness that she found attractive. Indeed, she had not looked this deeply at a guy's eyes in months. And that green hair indicated a laid-back, easygoing personality.

Drew was lost in the twin sapphires._ They say the eyes are the windows to the soul._ And Drew knew this to be true as he admired May's face. Her brown hair was well kempt underneath that bandana. _She's so beautiful…_

Suddenly, and almost without explanation, Drew and May leaned in toward each other. Their faces were feet apart. Inches apart. Centimeters apart. He closed his eyes. She closed hers. Their hearts began beating like mad.

And like magnets, their lips touched. This moment was tender-hearted, yet spirited. It was invigorating to the soul. A once strange concept that now felt like an old friend. This…was love.

The teens opened their eyes and smiled at each other as they ended that magical moment. They had each thought it in the past, but never said anything to each other. But no words were needed now. They were safe to be as they were. They were on the lam from their enemies. And in that clearing of the woods, something made itself known to them. It was the newest affection in the world thus far. Boyfriend and girlfriend, each on the great adventure of life. What the future held, who could tell.

The afternoon sun told them they wouldn't reach Ecruteak City before nightfall. Therefore, they set up camp and set themselves up to spend their first night together as a couple.


	7. In Hot Water

**Chapter 7: In Hot Water**

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Max yawned and silenced the alarm clock on his bedside counter. The time was 7:00 AM. In order to be as efficient a Pokémon trainer/coordinator as possible, his daily schedule demanded that he rise early in the mornings. So far, he had adjusted to being on the road again.

A second, muffled beeping originated his pack. Max hurried to open the pack and find the offending object. It was his pokénav. Apparently, he'd forgotten to turn the alarm feature off last night, as there was already an alarm clock in the room. Just as well – in the wilderness, the pokénav was the only way of knowing what time it was.

Max walked up to the window and opened the curtains. The sun was beginning to rise on the eastern horizon. Max had come a ways since leaving home a few days ago. Late yesterday morning, he'd arrived in Rustboro City, his first stop after traversing the wilderness outside of Petalburg. Yesterday was full of activity, and today promised to be no different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but an uneasiness hung on the air. But he was safe – he'd spent the night in the Pokémon center, which was constantly under the watchful eye of Nurse Joy and her Blissey. Still…

As Max fished around in his pack for his clothes and prepared to find the showering area, his hand knocked against something. Grabbing the hard object, he took it out, instantly realizing what it was. It was his multi-compartment case, used for storing both badges and ribbons. So far, he had no ribbons, but something was in there.

It was yesterday afternoon that Max took what courage he could to enter the Rustboro gym. The leader, Roxanne, recognized him after a few moments, and knowing him for what he now was, they had a Pokémon battle. Max was nervous; he only had his Mudkip to rely on, and he was rather inexperienced at battling, despite having watched several battles involving Ash and May. But he could feel Ash's confidence within him, as well as his sister's support and Brock's…imaginary presence. Not only that, but his Mudkip had a type advantage – the two Pokémon Roxanne used were both rock types, so they went down as Mudkip's strength was beginning to fail.

Max stared in admiration of his newly acquired Stone Badge. It sat alone in the case, but wouldn't be lonely for too long. Through the grapevine, Max became aware of a contest going on here in Rustboro later this morning, and he figured he'd give it a shot before heading out of town.

The center was quiet as Max ate breakfast in the cafeteria, then went back to his room to get things ready for the day. He decided to do some more training with Mudkip – the contest wasn't until noonish, so that gave him a few hours to explore the surrounding terrain. If he got lucky, he might even be able to add a new member to his team. With high hopes, Max headed into the tall grass around the city limits.

For the first few minutes, all was quiet. The area was almost devoid of life. Soon, though, a metallic noise echoed through the quiet air. Max followed the noise, wondering what was causing the ruckus. It didn't take him long to find the source.

At the foot of a tree stood something that looked like a metallic leg of some sort. At its top was a rounded apparatus, at the center of which appeared to be a single red eye. Max knew what this was – a Beldum. Most likely, there'd be a swarm around here, or else this one's been through something awful. Moving slowly so as not to frighten the metallic Pokémon, Max approached it.

As he came near it, Max knew now that this was a loner Beldum. It appeared upset at being abandoned by its own kind. It had had a fight with its leader, a powerful Metang, and was banished from the coven. So it came to be here to weep.

Max was sympathetic towards the creature. He had learned from Ash to read Pokémon's emotions, as well as know what was being said. He and Mudkip comforted the Iron Ball Pokémon.

The steel/psychic type knew about Max. Like itself, Max was traveling alone, albeit for different reasons. Nonetheless, Beldum was drawn to this strange human and his unfamiliar partner. So when Max said he had to leave to get back to town before the contest, it followed him. As soon as he became aware of something following him, Max turned around. He could guess the Pokémon's intentions. It wanted to come along with them. So in the flick of a wrist, Max threw an empty pokéball at the Beldum, who was captured without resistance.

Happy with the morning's results, and especially ecstatic at making a new friend, Max returned to Rustboro City and entered the contest hall, where he promptly signed up as a contestant. In the few minutes he had before the competitions got underway, Max reflected upon his previous journey through the Hoenn region. That was a couple months ago that he, Ash, May, and Brock finished their tour and went to Kanto for the Battle Frontier. There were ups and downs, nothing they couldn't handle as a group. He sighed. Where were they all now?

Before he could ponder anymore on the deeds of the past, the announcer signaled the beginning process of the Rustboro City Pokémon contest. Crossing his fingers and hoping his team would bring him to success, he headed towards the area designated for coordinators.

* * *

Upon exiting the contest hall, Max looked up at the sky. He could tell just by looking at where the sun was what time it was. Because it was mid-afternoon, he had two choices. He could either stay in town for one more night, or he could get a head start on his journey and put several miles behind him before sundown. After pondering this choice a moment, Max decided it wouldn't hurt to stay in town one more night. Afternoon was seldom a good time to begin traveling, especially if the destination is a long ways off. Yep, he was definitely going to stay one more night.

Max took his storage case out of his pack and opened it. By sheer luck, and some skill he acquired the previous day, Max was one of two winners. He fought in only one battle (a two-on-two battle), facing off against an opponent's Poochyena and Zigzagoon. Mudkip did particularly well, and Beldum's sheer force was undeniable (although its capabilities were severely limited – it only knew take down). Max placed the ribbon in a separate compartment from where he would keep his badges. He wondered if May would be jealous.

Max returned to the Pokémon center to heal his partners and take a snooze. His day was not yet done, but already had been more exhilarating than usual. As he lay on the couch, he wondered what lay ahead.

His musings were cut short by shrieking outside. He got up and went to the door with an equally curious Nurse Joy. Stepping outside, they found the source of the problem. From the end of town where Max entered the previous day, a large group of men in red cloaks advanced into the city. Their Pokémon marched ahead of them, threatening anyone unlucky enough to stand in their way. From the town's second main gate, a group comprised mostly of women dressed in sailors' clothes marched behind their line of aquatic Pokémon.

Nurse Joy suddenly spoke up.

"Max, let me run inside and get your Pokémon to you. I think you'll have to leave town. It's Teams Aqua and Magma, and I'll bet it'll be unsafe for you here very soon. Run as fast as you can. Flee!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Max shrieked as the nurse handed his pokéballs to him. Grabbing everything he possessed, he made a mad dash for the town's third and last entryway. Nobody was in that direction…yet. He'd have to run, or there'd be guards there soon as well.

Max dashed through the city gate and ran until the city was far behind him. By now, the sun was beginning to burn the sky bright orange. Evening would be here soon. Still, Max pressed on, knowing he wouldn't be safe until nightfall. He'd find somewhere to rest before then.

Still, he couldn't shake off the terror he'd just escaped. _What were those guys up to? I thought we'd taught them a lesson a while back. Is this happening elsewhere in Hoenn?_ Questions raced through his mind. He thought of Professor Birch and his father. He wasn't too worried about them. The professor was a wise man, and had gotten out of many scrapes before. And Norman, his father, had so strong a team that he could easily hold his own against any challenger. _Er…ALMOST any challenger!_ Max's thoughts now were focused on his friends and family. He hoped nothing was happening to them.

The next couple hours down the road were quiet. It was almost as if the world saw a great disaster coming. To Max, it was simply because he was the only person in this neck of the woods for miles around. He continued on until the daylight began to fail.

Max set up his sleeping bag out on the grass a short distance from the path. Unfortunately, the situation in town was such that he could not follow through with his original plan. That was beside the point, he reasoned, as there was no telling what would've happened to him if he'd been caught.

Dinner was an almost nonexistent affair. A small bag of potato chips, half a sandwhich, and a bottle of mineral water was all he had to go on for tonight. There was a little more in his pack, of course, but he knew he had to ration his food while on the road. Brock taught him that. Not that it mattered with Ash and May in tow – those two had bottomless stomachs! He sighed again. He couldn't stop thinking about them.

By the time he was done eating, the sun was gone, and the twilight of dusk was hardly enough to see anything in. Max took off his glasses and carefully set them in his pack. He then set his alarm for the usual wake-up time: 7:00 AM. He was tired, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

A sound of footsteps and chatter woke Max. He guessed he'd been asleep for only a few minutes. He wasn't sure, though, so he got into his pack to check his pokénav. It was currently 10:17 PM. Before he could put it away, two tall figures appeared along the road. They held lanterns – that was all Max could discern, as his vision was poor without his glasses. He stayed quiet and listened to the conversation the people were having. They were close enough to him to be within earshot.

"So the city of Rustboro has fallen already? Excellent. The masters' plan is coming together perfectly. Word on the street is, the same thing is happening in Kanto, the Sevii Islands, Sinnoh, and Johto." a man's voice said.

"Sweet! I can't wait to take up the gauntlet of authority!" a feminine voice replied.

Max fidgeted in his seat. He knew there was a reason he was thinking of everybody.

"Ash, May, where are you guys?" Max asked out loud. Realizing his error, he hoped the people on the road hadn't heard anything. Unfortunately, they did.

"Hey, did you hear something?" the man asked.

"I do believe I did! It came from this side of the road. Can't be more than twenty yards off. Let's check it out," the woman commanded.

Max knew by their footsteps that they were closing in on him. He'd have to grab his stuff and run fast, or they'd find him. He'd hardly gotten out of his sleeping bag, however, when the duo came to his position. Max got into his pack quickly enough to put on his glasses and see the intruders to his campsite.

One was a tall man, with short green hair and a menacing expression on his face. He wore a silvery outfit that covered all parts of his body except his head. The woman was a few inches shorter than the man, but otherwise appeared almost identical to her accomplice. They stopped when Max came into view. To them, they beheld a small boy standing over a sleeping bag and look disheveled. Clearly, they'd caught him at a bad time. For him, anyways.

"Well, well, well. What have we here, Simon?" the woman asked.

"I don't know, Simone, what do we have here?" the man called Simon asked, more to Max than to Simone.

Max was too scared stiff to say anything. His only thought now was on the pokéballs resting on his belt. Maybe he could fight his way out…that is, if he weren't so scared stiff.

"Simon, didn't the boss tell us to bring him anybody we found outside of any towns if we found them?" Simone asked her partner.

"Indeed. Come along now, little straggler." Simon cooed.

"S-S-Straggler?" Max asked. He didn't know what was happening. It was all too much, too fast.

Simone faced the youth with an unnerving smile. "Oh, you know…anybody that we find that isn't in any town. Just like you."

Simon whipped out handcuffs from one of his pants pockets. "You're coming with us. And don't bother trying to fight with us, because that'll just make things more difficult for you."

Simon handcuffed Max and took him back to the road. Looking back, Max saw Simone gathering his belongings. He knew he was going to be taken somewhere, but where?

"Hurry it up, Simone! We gotta get this kid to the boss, pronto!"

"I'm on it, just give me a second!" Simone whined. She placed Max's sleeping bag hastily in his pack and scurried with it towards the group.

"We've a long way to go, kid, so try and stay awake if you can."

Max was groggy and tired, but also too scared now to feel sleepy. His adrenaline was pumping through his veins. His hands were bound behind his back. At least he could feel that his Pokémon were still on him. That was a good thing, at least until they confiscated them. Max thought he heard Simon mutter something about how "the boss just HAD to be situated in Viridian." He almost inquired about Viridian, but thought better of speaking out loud. That's what got him into this mess in the first place.

Fear gripped Max as he and his captors began their trek back to Rustboro to report their findings before heading to the nearest port. He cried silently as they journeyed off into the darkness of the night.


	8. Kings To Be

**Chapter 8: Kings To Be**

**Author's Note: I would like to start off this installment by saying thank you to everyone who has written a review/critique. Your compliments mean a lot to me, and I've received some constructive criticism to help make this story better for you. This is for you, guys! Enjoy!**

Archie sat at his desk in the office suite Giovanni had given to him to make his administrative contributions in. Scattered in front of him were reports from his grunts, maps, schematics of machines, and other clutter. Things were going smoothly, or so he'd heard. He supposed that his partners and himself were all to be grateful, but they had their faults as well.

He started with himself. He was the head of Team Aqua, and was acting on a great plan he'd devised with the others. When he first came to Viridian, he only knew that they'd be on to something big. Before that, though, he'd had a heck of a time rallying his loyal grunts and administrators together. Things weren't well after Kyogre and Groudon faced off in a battle of cataclysmic proportions. It was during that time he was possessed by the red orb and had Kyogre in his control for a brief time before losing the orb and Kyogre in one single blow. He'd be defeated that day, but he wanted to get back to his original objective soon. Preferably after all the dust from his current mission was settled.

The next person was Maxie. His longtime rival, and head of Team Magma. Like Archie, he'd lost much after the great battle, though no doubt he also wished to resume his duties soon. He didn't care much for Maxie, and the only reason he was working with him now was because of the profit in his current venture. After that, their feud would be alive and well again. _Alas, some things never will truly change._

Then there was Cyrus. He was the boss of Team Galactic, and he looked to be a very wise and powerful man. However, he preferred the company of his computers more than anybody else, so he was around only if the situation required it. Otherwise, he was locked up in his own office, doing his own thing. Not much else to see about him.

Finally, Giovanni. It was Giovanni who got the idea of a global takeover in the first place, and it was he who summoned them all to Viridian several days ago to formulate a plan. The only problem Archie had with Giovanni was that Giovanni always seemed to be hiding something from the group. What the matter was, he could not tell. He hoped it was nothing major. Still, every time the Team Rocket boss talked, he looked like he was troubled by something.

All that was trivial at the moment. The future lay ahead, and from the sound of things, it would soon be the time to begin the next phase of the plan.

The plan was comprised of several phases. Each plotted by a person who would oversee it. Giovanni's portion was first. He distributed their forces throughout the lands, taking control of the cities and towns, as well as taking travelers into their custody. So far, that was a huge success.

Now, it was his turn. Taking more troops into his command, he was to locate the legendary Pokémon Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie. This, along with Maxie's duties, would make Cyrus's phase possible. Though he was unsure what those two were doing exactly.

Archie leaned back and sighed. Now that he thought of it, he knew he'd have guests coming. Two of Cyrus's men found a lone traveler outside of Rustboro City in the Hoenn region, and likewise, several of Maxie's followers captured a flamboyant man in Goldenrod City in the Johto region. Perhaps these individuals would be helpful to the cause once they arrived here, which would be within the next day or two. There might be more of them, too.

Sitting back up, Archie immediately went back to work. _Soon,_ he thought, _everything shall be ours._

* * *

"C'mon, you three, keep up!" Butch barked.

"Well, maybe if we had some time ta rest, we wouldn't be so slow!" Meowth retorted.

"Tough. We don't rest until nightfall." Cassidy said in a matter-of-factly voice.

The five Rockets were heading through Pewter City. Over the course of just two days, they'd all headed south through Sinnoh and crossed the mountains that served as the border between Sinnoh and Kanto. They were heading to Viridian City to get their next orders from the boss. One more day of traveling was ahead of them before that. In order to maintain their current pace, they slept only six hours at night and marched from shortly before sunrise until dusk. Butch and Cassidy were used to this regimen, although it was apparent that the same was not true for the others. No wonder they screwed up so badly – they were lazy!

James looked up and saw that the sun was setting on the horizon. That filled him with hope – nighttime was the only time he didn't have to listen to the horrible duo run their mouths mercilessly.

Currently, they'd just passed through town. They marched a few miles more before Butch picked out a spot to spend the night.

"Okay you two, hurry up and get us set up while we go find something to eat." Cassidy ordered.

As they walked off, James reached into the pack on his back and pulled out a canvass, several tent poles, and some rope. Jessie got their sleeping bags out of her pack. Meowth had nothing else to do, so he assisted his longtime companions in setting up the tent.

They'd just finished setting up the tent when Butch and Cassidy returned with a few small sacks of berries and mushrooms. They would eat first – they reasoned that they should get first dibs on food, as they were the ones who found the bounty. Then they assigned James to set up inside the tent and Jessie and Meowth to collect kindling and start a fire.

"Now listen here, we've done everything you've asked us since two days ago! Why don't you get the wood and start the fire?" Jessie demanded.

"Because we told you to. Now do it!" Cassidy shot back.

"Oh, you're horrid," Jessie muttered.

Cassidy stood up. "What was that? How dare you insult me like that!" She slapped Jessie's face. Jessie recoiled for a moment, gasped, and bitch-slapped back. Soon, the two women were on the ground, biting each other's arms and pulling the other woman's hair.

James watched the catfight with interest. Butch, however, was looking at James with disdain.

"Hey, I thought you were setting up in the tent?"

"Sorry. Didn't realize what my priorities were, bitch."

"The name…is BUTCH!"

"Oh, Butch, right. Not a big deal."

"'Not a big deal'? You've gotten it wrong the last fifty times! What is wrong with you?"

Meowth had set down the kindling and stepped in to intervene.

"KNOCK IT OFF, ALL OF YOUS!" he screamed.

Jessie and Cassidy got off the ground, dusted themselves off, and checked their wounds. James gave Butch a harsh glare (which was quickly returned) before entering the tent. He was joined by Jessie and Meowth. They set up their gear on one side of the tent with great care. As for Butch and Cassidy's stuff, they just took it out of their cases and threw them onto the ground without much regard to visual appeal. Outside, Butch had gotten a fire going, and would be out with Cassidy for a while.

* * *

Meowth quickly fell asleep in his own sleeping bag, near the center of the tent. Behind him, Jessie and James lay next to each other. They were still wide awake. Jessie's wounds were hurting, and James was still angry at Butch. Jessie turned her head to face James.

"James? Where did we go wrong? What happened that we got stuck with those horrible people?"

"I don't know, Jess. But I do know that we're better off without them. Maybe after we get to Viridian tomorrow, we can ditch them."

"I do hope so, James. But I can't keep living like this. I just can't." Tears started forming in Jessie's eyes.

Jame's hazel eyes met her azure eyes. "I promise you, we'll be rid of them soon. And then, we won't have to hear anything from Cassidy and Mitch…er…Hutch…augh, whatever!"

Jessie giggled. "You still aren't getting it right. But I don't care about that. We're all here in one piece."

"Yes. At least we still have each other, Jess."

Jessie then shivered. "James, will you hold me?"

"Of course, Jessie." James wrapped an arm around Jessie, who promptly stopped her shivering. With James to comfort her, she began feeling drowsy.

"Good night, James."

"Good night, Jess."

Soon, the three Team Rocket members were snoring away in the one place they could escape the harshness of reality. In their dreams, they were happy and successful. They were also very well respected and famed. Nothing stood between them. And then came a violent shaking.

"Wake up, you. We have to get going."

Butch exited the tent. What felt like mere minutes was actually a few hours. James knew this because as he looked out a window in the tent, he could see the sun beginning to rise. He sighed and proceeded to rouse Jessie and Meowth. It was just another day. One that would be made unnecessarily long and harsh by the ilk of Butch and Cassidy.


	9. In The Company Of Others

**Chapter 9: In The Company Of Others**

Giovanni kicked back in his seat while keeping a watchful eye on his office doors. He was alone at the moment, but that was just about to change – his secretary alerted him to two groups heading towards his office. They'd be here any moment.

Looking at the papers on his desk, he knew what this visit was about. One group, two members of Cyrus's Team Galactic division in the Hoenn region, had apprehended a young boy outside of Rustboro City. They'd arrived in Vermillion this morning, and took a plane to Viridian.

The other group, a few of Maxie's elite Team Magma guard garrisoned in the Johto region, had nabbed a young man (roughly in his mid-twenties, as the report had said) at the gates of Goldenrod City. They had also just arrived in Kanto today, and also sought an audience with him.

Why was he having these prisoners come to him? Normally, he didn't bother with the denizens of any towns. However, anyone brave enough to travel usually kept a team of Pokémon on hand, and would most likely have the potential to be of benefit to him. Besides, it was what most of his Team Rocket grunts did.

Outside the office doors, he heard the guards checking in the newcomers. Since this would be just a moment longer, he thought back now to earlier this morning.

He'd been in his office when five of his employees came in to give their reports and receive their assignments. Two prided him, the other three were complete eyesores. _Well, looks like Butch and Cassidy have done their job well. Good job on finding those three goons, you two._

Their visit was short, as he wanted it to be. He wanted Jessie, James, and Meowth to head back to the Sinnoh region to find any more travelers they encountered (which drew annoyed sighs from them – they'd only just been brought from Sinnoh!) and to bring them here if any were located (drawing still more sighs). To be sure they didn't fail, Butch and Cassidy were to escort them and give assistance as needed (this time, all five groaned). He knew the five weren't on the friendliest of terms, but they had a job to do now, and they were going to do it, like it or not! Giovanni chartered a plane for them this time – he didn't want to lose any more time than was necessary, and if he could cut down on everyone's travel times, he would.

Presently, two individuals dressed in glittery silver outfits carried a young boy into the office. Despite his now two-day old captivity, he was still resisting his captors, though he didn't show it now that he was here.

They were followed by a pair of Magma guards, wearing red cloaks. Their captive was a tall man, almost as tall as the guards standing on either side of him. His choice of green clothing was disgustingly flamboyant, and under his hat, long purple hair climbed down just past his shoulders.

As the captives took a seat in front of the desk, they exchanged glances at each other. Giovanni got the impression they knew each other, but decided not to pursue the matter. He had other things in mind for these two wanderers. Their hands were still bound, and the guards kept close eyes on them at all times, so that they wouldn't be tempted to make a run for it.

"I don't know who you are, but you've got some nerve catching me and bringing me here! I demand to know what you're doing right now!" the man scolded.

The boy said nothing, but nodded and frowned.

"Welcome to Viridian City. I am Giovanni. I have an offer I think you will find hard to refuse."

"I doubt it," the youth said under his breath. Giovanni brushed the comment off.

"If you will agree to act on my behalf and fulfill my humble requests, I will grant you any wish you want."

"Release me and then I'll consider your proposition!" Max said in a cold tone.

Giovanni faced the uncooperative child.

"Listen to me, son. I understand this all too much for your little mind to take in, but wait till I'm done talking, and then make your choice."

Harley looked interested, by contrast. "Go on. I'm listening."

Giovanni smiled. "Should you consent to serve me, you will be obligated to do as I say, no questions asked. When I set deadlines, I expect them to be met by the deadline and no later. Also, you cannot quit unless you are released either by myself or one of my associates. That's the drawback, kapieche? Now that you've been given the rundown, I'll ask again: will you join me and seek an ultimate reward?"

Harley smiled and nodded fervently. Max, however, was still not convinced.

"I respectfully wish to decline your offer," Max simply stated.

Giovanni took on a slight frown. "Very well. I see you need more time to think it over. Maybe the dungeons will change your mind. Take him away."

The prisoners stood up. Harley was freed from his bonds. Max was escorted out of the office and taken to the basement to be placed in a holding cell until he was summoned.

Presently, the Team Rocket boss faced Harley. "My good sir, I must congratulate you on your wise decision to assist me. It's a pity your colleague couldn't see things as clearly. Let us now discuss the nature of your first assignment."

* * *

Brock was a romantic, so there was a lot about love that he knew. That's how he knew something was different about his traveling companions. Ever since they'd taken their leave of Veilstone City, Brock noticed Ash and Dawn were spending more time together than usual. They'd walk side by side ahead of him.

Personally, Brock was happy to see them together. They were a nice couple. However, he paused every time he asked himself if they were truly made for each other. The occasional argument still got between them, though they were always prompt to make up afterwards. _Love is a complicated thing_, he sighed.

"Did you say something, Brock?" Ash asked. Brock was surprised that Ash heard his daydream.

"Oh, ah…I was just thinking there's a place up ahead that we could hunker down in for the night!" Brock quickly exclaimed. That was reasonable, as it was now late afternoon, and they'd have to end their trek for the day soon.

A mile and half down the road, the sun was setting as the trio sat their burden on the ground. The clearing Brock referenced was right beside the road, and the fact there was a fire pit there already gave indication this area had been used before. Oh, well. Not that that really mattered – it didn't. Surely, they weren't the only trainers/coordinators in Sinnoh to pass through this area.

After they got a fire started, Ash set up the sleeping bags, Dawn went to collect water, and Brock began cooking dinner. Tonight, they'd be eating burgers. Brock knew Ash and Dawn loved this sort of food. He fixed a few meatballs into three patties (plus a small fourth patty for Pikachu, on which he placed a cheddar cheese slice – mice love cheese, and Pikachu loved anything that was colored yellow).

Once the sleeping area was established, the water collected, and the food cooked, they all sat down to eat. Once again, Brock really outdid himself as his culinary mastery became evident.

"Hey Pikachu, how's your…er…burger?" Ash asked, looking at Pikachu.

"Pika pi, Pikachu!" the electric mouse smiled. What he held did not look to Ash to be a cheeseburger. Rather, it was two buns with a cheesy meat patty that was absolutely drenched in ketchup. No sooner did Pikachu finish the main course, then he proceeded to lick away at the top of the little ketchup bottle. Ash sweatdropped.

"At least you still haven't stopped licking every ketchup bottle you come across."

They all laughed. Dawn and Ash exchanged smiles. Deep down, Dawn knew humor was just one of Ash's inner qualities that she found appealing.

At the conclusion of dinner, Ash and Dawn washed the cooking utensils while Brock looked at the map to determine the best way to go tomorrow. Pastoria City was still a few days ahead of them, so he had to choose the route through the terrain so as not to get lost. Once that was done, he got into his sleeping bag and fell asleep. Dawn and Ash soon followed him to the land of dreams.

* * *

The morning was overcast and cool. They were too preoccupied with their thoughts to speak as they ate breakfast and packed up. Before leaving, though, Ash noticed they'd consumed all their water at dinner last night. He volunteered to get more.

Ash felt at peace by the nearby brook. And then, he heard the sounds of a scuffle back at camp. He quickly finished filling the canteens and raced back to camp. He saw no one there. It was just himself and Pikachu.

Before he could call out for Dawn and Brock, however, Ash saw a plane take off. It was close enough that he could see the little Team Aqua symbol on the side. Ash immediately knew who was responsible, but didn't know what they were up to. He'd find out soon enough, though.

"Staravia, c'mon out!" Ash shouted, opening one of his pokéballs.

"Staravia!"

"Quick, Staravia, we need to follow that plane!"

"Star! Staravia!"

Ash and Pikachu jumped onto the large bird's back. Staravia was barely able to accommodate his passengers, but was very strong, and soon took flight. He followed the plane as it soared through the air.

"Hold on, guys, I'm coming!" Ash said, meaning his imprisoned friends.

* * *

Drew and May awoke to find themselves in some sort of a barred-off area. A cage, more specifically. A very large cage, by the looks of it.

They didn't know how they got here. All they knew was what happened before that.

Once they'd gotten their feelings out into the open, they made for Ecruteak City, but couldn't get there before nightfall, so they found a clearing to rest in for the night. The last thing they remembered was a rustling in the bushes, and a heavy blow to each of their heads, effectively knocking them out cold. Now they awoke in some strange place.

May looked around. She hated it when this sort of thing happened. Beyond the bars of the cage, she could see a window, out of which clouds were clearly visible. She knew they were aboard an airplane, but who captured them, for what purpose, and where they were going were all unknown at this time. May supposed they weren't going to Ecruteak City, at least.

Drew rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, man…what happened?"

"Drew? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I've been worse. Oh, I absolutely hate this kind of thing! I don't like being caged up!"

Drew winced. The predicament at hand was bad enough, and that was without factoring May's complaints into the equation. _May, I love you, babe, but let's get real. Your whining isn't going to help us much._

Suddenly, a door opened and a man came through. His dress immediately identified him as a Team Rocket grunt.

"I see you two are finally awake."

"Where are you taking us?" May scowled.

"To Viridian City. The boss is expecting you both tomorrow afternoon. Says he's got something for you."

"Oh yeah? What?" May demanded.

The Rocket merely chuckled. "You'll see. In due time. Meanwhile, I hope you'll sit back and enjoy the ride, missy." With that, he left them alone.

"Oh, that's the last time I let my guard down for any reason!" May whined.

Drew, who was silent during the exchange, looked at May like he'd seen a ghost. On the outside, she was rose petals. But inside, she was the stem, thorns included. May was nice when you got to know her, but she had a bit of an emotional problem. He didn't know how he could possibly cope with that.

"Oh, I don't suppose they even serve meals on this plane! Oh, woe is me!"

Drew just about snapped at this latest comment from May's mouth.

"Eh, guess we'd better get used to it, cause they don't seem like a nice bunch."

May looked cross. "Of course they aren't! They don't even give a care what happens to us now. What'll become of the world without its cheerful May?"

"I don't think anybody even knows we're missing. The last anybody knows, we fled from Goldenrod City in a haste."

"You don't have to word it like that. You should give us more credit for what we got done!"

"May, just calm down. I'm sure everything –"

"Everything won't be okay! We're stuck in some plane, held by some insensitive jerks, and Johto is behind us now!"

Drew sighed and sweatdropped. There was no point carrying on this conversation. May just couldn't calm down. Just like someone else he'd met about the same time he met May. For now, it was just sit back, ignore May's desperate whims and see what happens.

* * *

It was late at night when two planes arrived in Viridian City. The crew members of each plane took their semi-conscious captives to the looming skyscraper and, one by one, each captive was placed in a cell in the maze of holding cells in the basement.

An hour later, two more hostages were placed in the dungeons to "give company" to the cell's current resident. Guards were surprised to see a large bird carrying a person land on the runway. After recalling the bird to its ball, the guards wasted no time. They shot one tranquilizer dart at the person's thigh. Then they shot a second dart a considerably smaller figure. After a moment, the two went rigid. Then, to the holding cells. In all, there were seven captives held in six separate cells, none of which faced each other.


	10. Welcome To Tomorrow

**Chapter 10: Welcome To Tomorrow**

The reclusive Galactic boss sat in his office, surrounded by several machines. Several feet in front of his desk were the main office doors. Behind him was another door, where he housed the lengendary Pokémon needed for his part of the plan to begin.

His time had come at last. He still marveled at the fact Archie and Maxie were working together on this issue. Over the course of the past week, their men had brought Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie. By utilizing the jewels from each of these creatures, his men were able to forge a red chain. The purpose of this chain was to enslave the mighty Dialga and the fierce Palkia. With these two in his possession, he'd rally together all other legendary Pokémon and wield the power necessary to forge an entirely new world.

He wasn't that far yet, though. Just yesterday he'd sent out his men with the red chain to find Dialga and Palkia, and they'd likely be gone for a few days at the least. He hoped they succeeded. Failure was not an option – especially not at this juncture in time. The die was cast, and there'd be no going back now.

The main office doors swung open, and Giovanni entered, making his way towards they desk. He gave a quick bow.

"Congratulations on getting this far. I'm personally hoping your men can get the job done soon."

"They will. Team Galactic is a vast force, and we take our line of work seriously. We will have all the legends in our grasp in a few day's time."

"Glad to hear it."

Cyrus decided then to change the subject. "It seems young master Harley has taken to his duties well."

"Yes, I've never seen such vigor in a man of his stature. I have him watching over the prisoners right now, just to ensure they don't try anything funny."

"So I take it the young boy still hasn't consented to your generous offer?"

Giovanni winced. "Unfortunately, no, so I sent him back to the dungeons again and left him in Harley's care. I'm hoping his fellow inmates are more sympathetic towards us."

"Indeed. To stand against our might now would be folly. They'll see the light before the end."

"I hope so," Giovanni said as he prepared to take his leave.

Cyrus almost felt relieved when Giovanni left. He preferred the company of machines over other life forms. Though he still needed to get information somehow.

* * *

Before he opened his eyes, Ash could feel the cold, hard cement of the floor beneath his body. As his vision cleared, he sat up. He felt a slight tingling sensation in his thigh, where the dart had hit him. He saw that he was in some kind of cell with the floor, ceiling, and three walls made of concrete. The last "wall" was the classic iron bars of a prison. Ash supposed he was in a prison, though not one he'd recognize.

There was one sight that caught him off guard. It was Dawn, who was still asleep, but probably not for long. Brock was nowhere to be seen, and as Ash looked beyond the bars, all he could see was a brick-lined corridor with several lamps serving as the only lights in this dark place. There were no other cells in sight.

Ash wondered who put them here. He hadn't done anything illegal, so that ruled out Officer Jenny. Besides, Jenny always confronted her criminals face-to-face, so she wouldn't be using tranquilizer darts, either. Ash could only guess who took them hostage.

Suddenly, voices and footsteps came down the corridor. As they rounded the dark corner, Ash could see clearly who it was.

Harley was escorting a handcuffed Max through the hallway to an unseen cell elsewhere in this dungeon. From the sounds of it, they were arguing. Ash wanted to call out to Max, happy to see a familiar face, particularly one he hadn't seen in a long time. However, he was still too drugged to form words. He could only watch Max's futile efforts to liberate himself from Harley.

"Let me go! My sis'll find out I'm gone sooner or later, and she'll be coming for me when she does!" Max said, trying to pull away from Harley. This didn't work – one hand was in a cuff, whose twin cuff was closed around Harley's own wrist. Harley, of course, had the key, but he had no intention of letting the child go free and wreck havoc.

"Sure, she will." Harley said in a sarcastic voice. "And when she does get here – IF she does get here – I'll make her pay for all the trouble she's caused me."

Unknown to Max or Ash, Harley was just playing – he was aware that May was one of his seven captives.

After they passed out of sight, Ash grabbed the metal bars and pulled himself onto his feet. He knew they weren't alone anymore in this prison compound. Ash had a notion to get out of this cell and look around. He knew how, too. He'd get Chimchar to heat the bars, then he'd borrow Dawn's Piplup to rapidly cool them, then break through with Turtwig's razor leaf.

This hope was cut short when Ash touched his belt and discovered that all of his pokéballs were missing. Now that he looked around the cell, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen.

"Where…are we?" Dawn asked. Ash turned around and saw that Dawn was awake and on her feet.

"In some kinda prison, I guess. I saw Harley and Max come through here a minute ago."

"What're they doing here?" Dawn remembered Ash telling her about his adventures in the Hoenn region, but was under the impression that Harley was in Johto and Max was back in Petalburg City.

Ash shrugged. He wasn't sure of that, either. Something strange was at work here.

* * *

Giovanni felt the time was right to have another captive brought to his office. And he knew just who to question this time. For he had in his possession the very Pikachu that Jessie, James, and Meowth had failed to capture on so many occasions. He knew that when the electrical gauge on the small glass sphere showed unusually high readings – far too high for a normal Pikachu.

He entered a number on his phone pad to the pager of the guard outside the door.

"You need somethin', boss?" the grunt asked.

"Go to the basement and tell Harley to bring me the captive named Ash Ketchum."

"Yes, sir." With a bow, the grunt headed off.

Giovanni was pleased with how things were turning out. Soon, the world would be under their control. However, he now had something to tell five particular individuals he had sent to the Sinnoh region.


	11. Turbulences

**Chapter 11: ****Turbulences**

They couldn't quite explain it yet, as it was all so much to take in at once. The only thing Jessie, James, Meowth, Butch, and Cassidy knew was that they were now working alongside a large division of people comprised of Teams Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic. They'd heard incredible news – this very division had earlier been successful at ensnaring Palkia, and were off now to find the colossus known as Dialga.

But not all was good. Jessie, James, and Meowth had recently received very disturbing news. To their chagrin, the boss had Pikachu in his possession! How he did what they could not, they didn't know. For now, though, they were to return to Viridian City as it would no longer be necessary for them to be in the Sinnoh region. Just as they were about to set off, however, they were found by the division. Now, here they were, off to find a legendary Pokémon.

Meowth couldn't help but notice one of the Team Galactic members was carrying a red chain. At either end of the chain was a black pokéball, the center of one of which was glowing, indicating it had a resident in it. Undoubtedly, that was what they were keeping the legendary beasts in. But what were they going to do with it?

The group climbed up a large plateau. It was almost as tall as a mountain, and everybody was feeling the effects of altitude sickness as they reached the summit. They were greeted by a large black creature with silver markings. Dialga.

Dialga was not pleased to see so many visitors here, and knew right away what their intentions were. The humans sent out their Pokémon to launch an assault on the dragon. A back-and-forth exchange of attacks and dodges ensued. Dialga wouldn't go down without a fight, and a fight it put up.

However, it could only withstand so many hydro pumps. So many fire blasts. And so many hyper beams. Then the great creature collapsed onto the ground. The Team Galactic member who had the red chain then took off the empty black ball and chucked it at the fallen Dialga. In a flash of red light, the fainted being was captured, and the ball's center gave off a glow similar to its twin. The ball was placed back onto the chain, and the group climbed back down the mountain and crossed the grassy fields towards the waiting helicopters.

* * *

Ash stood flat against his cell wall when Harley stopped at the cell and unlocked the door.

"You," Harley said, pointing to Ash, "you're coming with me."

"Where are you taking me?" Ash demanded in a rather forceful tone.

"To the master. He requests the honor of your presence." Harley said as he closed and locked the cell door.

"Oh, yeah? What if I don't wanna see him?"

"You WILL see him. You MUST see him."

"Make me."

Harley gritted his teeth. This punk was certainly brave – and very arrogant. He took out his handcuffs, closing one on his own wrist. Ash had to act fast.

As Harley began moving to take Ash's arm, Ash stepped aside. Growling, Harley jumped at Ash, who dodged him.

"Hey, what are you trying to do?" Ash shouted.

"Oh, as if I haven't told you already, punk! Get your butt over here now!" Harley said as he climbed to his feet.

Before Ash could sidestep Harley again, he felt something cold and metallic at his wrists. Looking down, he saw he was now handcuffed. Still, he wasn't giving up. Using the small window of opportunity available to him, he attempted to run in the opposite direction Harley was leading him. However, Harley was much stronger than he appeared.

Dawn watched the fiasco. While she was concerned about Ash, she also was appalled at how he was handling the situation. Actually, it was his temper that scared her. Ash was a nice boy, but he was very hotheaded, and she'd rather not be with someone whose fuse was short and whose temper erupted violently. _Oh, well,_ she sighed as Harley led them out of sight. _I can sort this out with him later. I like him, but…I don't know if he is the one anymore._

* * *

A few minutes later, the pair arrived in Giovanni's office. Ash was released from his bonds, but Harley kept an ever-watchful eye on him. Ash noticed two things immediately.

First was the Pikachu held in a sphere on the desk. Ash instantly knew it was not just any Pikachu, but _his_ Pikachu. He was determined to get the mouse Pokémon back by any means necessary.

The other thing was the man seated across the desk from him. Ash knew Giovanni – he'd met him once before. That was also the last time Ash saw Mewtwo. He'd thrown the psychic type in the lake to save him from Team Rocket, who was dealt with shortly after. He didn't know what happened afterwards, but he didn't feel like digging up the bones of the past just now. He'd hear the Rocket boss out, then see about freeing Pikachu.

"Welcome, young man. I've been expecting you."

"So I've heard," Ash stated, taking a seat. Harley remained standing. His constant gaze put Ash ill at ease.

"I assume you know who I am. We've met before…Ash."

"Yeah, I remember. I also remember that you and your cronies were up to no good. I doubt you've changed since then."

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. I'll let you be the judge today. I have an offer I think you won't be able to refuse."

"I doubt that," Ash said under his breath.

"Let me continue. When you first came in, I noticed how you eyed the fine specimen on my desk right here. I'm willing to make a negotiation that I think is rather generous. If you will do my bidding as I order it, I may be persuaded to return your Pikachu."

Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't like the terms – too binding. Besides, he wasn't into evil, anyway.

"What if I refuse?" Ash dared to venture.

Giovanni's grimace faded. "Well then, I would lock you back up and keep your Pokémon to use for my prosperity. You'd be surprised how many trainers are in the black market for rare and exotic Pokémon."

"What about my friends?"

Giovanni smiled. He was getting to Ash. Striking him where it hurt most. He let off an insidious chuckle.

"Oh, I'll do to them what I'll do to you. Think of it this way: their salvation hangs on the balance of your choice. I trust you'll make the right decision."

Ash admitted to himself he was in a real vicegrip. It was like blackmail, but worse. He quickly thought of how to stall for time while he looked for a way to rescue Pikachu and make an escape from this place.

"What specifically will you do with them?" Ash cursed himself for asking a question that was already answered, but he had no other thing to say while stalling. _Man, this is hard._

"Like I said, same thing as you if you refuse. I'm being completely honest right now. I think it'll be good for everyone in the long run if you say yes, that you'll take your place at my side."

Ash stood up. He felt embarrassed about the stalling, so he gave up on further attempts. As for a plan…well, he figured he'd just wing it. Just snag Pikachu, free him, make for the basement, and free everyone. _Then what? Ah, I'll figure it all out as I go along._

Ash faced Giovanni. "I'm sorry, but I find your demands too high for me to accept!" With that, he quickly tried to grab Pikachu. He got the glass cage in his hands, but Harley tackled him to the ground as he was about to lift the apparatus. This caused the sphere to roll off the desk and crash to the ground. Pikachu, while still dazed, dashed to hide behind a plant.

Meanwhile, the grunt standing guard at the door came in and place Ash's hands behind his back, locking them in handcuffs. "Better take him back to his cell, then, eh?"

Giovanni swayed his arm to signal them all to leave. The grunt and Harley both took hold of Ash as he fought to get out of their grip. While remaining undetected, Pikachu silently ran after them as the door closed.

It was not until then that Giovanni looked to the floor. He saw hundreds of shards of broken glass, but there was no Pikachu to be seen.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Back in the basement, Harley and the Rocket guard took Ash's handcuffs off and threw him needlessly hard into the cell.

"Next time, think before you act, foolish boy!" Harley shouted as he and the grunt took their leave. In his rage, he didn't notice his belt got suddenly heavy, then light again.

Ash sighed. He'd failed at his one shot at rescuing Pikachu, and now he was back here in this dungeon. He doubted he'd ever get out of here again.

He looked around. Dawn was sleeping on the ground, having nothing else to do (except talk to herself, but who in their right mind does that?). Ash wanted to shout at the departing jailors, but thought of the consequences if he were to awaken Dawn by doing so.

He sat on the ground and began to sob. _So close…I was so close…P-Pikachu…I'm so s-s-sorry…_

It was in that moment when he heard a silent metallic jingling approaching rapidly. Curiously, he looked towards the bars, drying his tears. It was…

"Pikachu?! How'd you get here?" Ash was surprised, and overjoyed, to see his companion here.

"Chu!" Pikachu pressed a finger against his lips.

"Oh…sorry." Ash whispered.

Pikachu took a ring of his tail. This ring had three keys on it. Keys he'd stolen from Harley's belt while he was distracted. Ash guessed two of them were for unlocking handcuffs and cell doors. He didn't know about the third.

"Nice going, buddy! Thanks a lot!" Ash said as he took the keys from the mouse. After trying out the keys, he unlocked the cell door. He was eager to find the rest of his Pokémon and leave this place, but he knew he had to find Max and Brock before leaving.

He went over to Dawn and shook her awake.

"Hey, Dawn. I'm back. Pikachu found the keys to get us out of here."

"How'd he do that?" Dawn asked, her voice indicating she was still groggy.

"Long story. I'll explain later. C'mon, we have to find Brock and Max and get outta here."

The three got out of the cell and, following Ash's lead, headed to where the rest of the cells presumably were. A few turns later, they came upon another cell. Max was inside, and he looked relieved to see some friendly faces.

"Ash! I'm so glad to see you! Who's your friend?" he asked.

"She's Dawn. I'll introduce you later. We gotta find Brock and get outta here."

"Wait, I'm pretty sure I heard voices down the hallway earlier. We should check it out."

A short distance on, the four came across yet another cell. There was somebody in it, but it wasn't Brock. The prisoner wore blue jeans, a dark shirt under a purple jacket, and had green hair. Ash and Max recognized him immediately.

"Oh. Hello, Ash."

"Drew." Ash didn't know why, but as he looked at the newly released Drew, he felt a sudden pang of jealousy. He didn't know why he was jealous now, of all times.

"I…don't believe we've met…" Drew said, facing Dawn. She blushed.

"She's Dawn. I'll give introductions later. Let's go!" Ash commanded.

Still further on, the group encountered another cell. This time, it was Brock inside. He looked happy to be able to stretch his legs as he joined them down the hallway. Ash figured that now that everyone was here, they'd continue down the hallway. It was sure to lead to the exit. However, they found one more cell along the way. The person inside made Ash's heartbeat rise considerably.

"Oh, my! So many people here…people I know!"

"C'mon, May, we're getting out of this place," Drew said. May nodded. She'd get caught up with everyone later. As she ran, she wondered who the blue-haired girl in the group was. She wanted to ask, but knew now was not the time for such information. There'd be time to exchange pleasantries later.

At the end of the winding corridor was a door, beyond which was a large room. There were no exits to this room, which appeared to be a storage area, but there was a reason to be here. On a shelf on the far end of the room was a large chest. Ash and Brock got it down, and Ash, noticing the lock, used the third key on the ring. To his relief, the chest opened, and inside were everyone's pokéballs. Once everyone was reunited with their partners, they headed back the way they came. Just as they got to Ash and Dawn's cell, they found Harley there, apparently searching for his lost keys. He looked surprised to see all six people (plus Pikachu) standing before him.

"I guess that rodent stole my keys and freed the lot of you, then…" he snarled.

"Yes, and we'll be leaving now, and we don't wish to be disturbed."

"You won't be going without a fight, then. Go, Cacturne!"

"Pikachu, use thunder!"

"Pika-CHUUU!" Pikachu sent a powerful jolt of electricity at Cacturne with such speed that it was unable to brace itself, and crashed into Harley, knocking him against the back wall inside the cell. As he flew, his handcuffs fell to the ground.

Ash wasted no time. He grabbed the fallen cuffs, closed one on Harley's wrist, and closed the other around one of the cell's iron bars. He then tossed the keys to the other end of the cell, where they'd be out of Harley's reach, yet able to taunt him with their presence. Shutting the cell door behind him, he then led his friends to the stairway, leaving Harley trapped inside the cell and locked to a cell bar.

The rest of the way out of the building was uneventful, as there were no guards on the first floor. Quickly, they exited the building into the late afternoon sunshine and headed towards the Viridian City Pokémon center. _That ended pretty nicely,_ Ash thought,_ considering everything happened spontaneously_. Now, he'd get caught up with everyone. Now was the time to ask questions and give answers.


	12. A Flame Relit

**Chapter 12: A Flame Relit**

**Finally, the chapter I've been waiting for so long to write! Alright, you've waited patiently, and I will not disappoint. In this chapter, I begin really getting into the Advanceshipping stuff (or, more accurately, the complete dissolution of the Contestshipping and Pearlshipping subplots). Here's chapter 12! Enjoy!**

* * *

Once everybody went inside the Pokémon center, they all entrusted their Pokémon to Nurse Joy, then sat down in the waiting area. After a long round of hugs, greetings, and how-are-you's, it was time to explain why they were all gathered here in Kanto.

Ash began his story. He explained to Max, May and Drew everything that had happened in the Sinnoh region, including the reunion with Brock and chance meeting with Dawn, then explained all their journeys, gym battles, and contests. Every now and then, Brock and Dawn jumped in to give their take on the story. May was enthralled by the tale, and could see how Ash had matured since she saw him last. However, every time Dawn spoke, May noticed there was something peculiar about how Drew was eyeing her. Ash concluded his story by explaining everything that happened between leaving Veilstone City and making the dramatic prison rescue on an improvised plan.

Max took his turn now. Except for Dawn (who really didn't know him), everybody was very pleased to see the ten year-old again. As he started his own tale, Max described how his journey began. He lamented he didn't have his two Pokémon to show, but described how he got them nonetheless. He had been in Rustboro City when several mysterious figures arrived and forced him to leave town earlier than expected. No sooner was he out of town when he was nabbed in a nighttime raid, and found himself en route to Viridian. He finished by describing his visits with Giovanni and his release from prison.

May and Drew were the last to speak. Originally, they'd been traveling alone and fighting in the contests in Johto. May was tearful as she recalled the journey between Violet City and Azalea Town. There, she'd lost to Drew, but he escorted her through Ilex Forest. Drew then explained the whole fiasco in Goldenrod City, about how'd they'd been able to help liberate the town with assistance from Whitney (Ash and Brock nodded, recalling the name). Shortly after being chased out of town by a Magma guard, they'd been heading towards Ecruteak City, but were ambushed along the way and next thing they knew, they were being transported to Kanto. The explanation ended with their individual jailbreaks.

Throughout the discussion, neither Ash and Dawn nor May and Drew shed any light on their romance lives. Ash felt such information was trivial to the overall recap, and May didn't want Ash to think less of her because of her bond to Drew.

* * *

By the time all stories had been traded and any questions were answered, the sun had set and the sky outside was getting dark. As they hadn't eaten for a long time (they only ate one small meal a day in the jail), everybody was very famished and they made off for the Cafeteria for dinner. Over the course of the meal, they discussed what the crime syndicates could be up to and what they were to do next.

Ash was paying no attention to the discussion and made minimal contributions to it. As he muched on his steak, his eyes were focused on the brunette sitting next to him on his left side (Dawn was on his right, and Drew sat on May's left). He didn't look too much, though, as it would raise suspicions, and not just to the fact he wasn't paying attention. What Ash didn't notice was how Drew looked at Dawn the same way Ash was looking at May.

As they cleared out, they decided the best thing to do would be to place a few phone calls to some people they knew. Brock would call Misty, Ash would contact Tracey (who was Professor Oak's assistant), and Dawn would try to track down Paul (she objected to this, but gave in after being convinced the more, the better). They would call upon their old friends to help them take down the syndicates and halt their sinister plans once they were identified.

* * *

Ash had just stepped out of the bathroom, having brushed his teeth and bathed his body. He was sharing a room with Brock (and Pikachu, obviously) tonight. Drew and Max had their own room next door, and the two girls were in the room across the hall. He felt refreshed to be out of harm's way, at least for now. He was also very happy to have seen some old friends – it had been _too long_ since he last saw May and Max. Drew…well, Ash could've cared less about his presence. His disregard for Drew was almost the equivalent to his dislike of Paul's brashness.

He was alone in the room except for the dozing Pikachu, and at the center. Max had already gone to bed in his room, May was outside with Drew somewhere, and Dawn and Brock were out shopping for supplies. Ash put on the clothes he'd wear to sleep and the next day. Just as he was about turn out the lights, however, an envelope in the doorway caught his eye. He hadn't seen it before – it must have come while he was in the bathroom. He walked over to it and found his name on it, written in Dawn's handwriting. He tore opened the envelope and began reading the note inside:

_My dearest Ash,_

_I realize I never truly thanked you for getting me out of that __horrid situation earlier today. Or for seeing me get through all the trials in Sinnoh. Or anything else, really. So…thank you! _

_But today, I also realized something during your brief absence. I realized that my love for you is strong, much stronger than any other I've ever felt. But…_

Ash squinted and held the paper close to his face. At this point, the ink on some of the letters was smeared, making it a bit difficult to read, although the words were still legible. He suspected that either Dawn was crying as she wrote this, or Piplup was getting carried away with her water gun sprays. Probably the former. He continued reading.

_…__sometimes, you can love a person yet realize they might not be your true love. Because, your true love is your soul's counterpoint in another soul. Similarities bind two people, but I think it's their differences that make or break a bond. _

_Well, I hate to admit it, but I don't think my counterpoint lies within you anywhere, Ash. I can guess what you're thinking. Know that it's got nothing to do with the way you handle yourself. I just think that, maybe, we took our friendship to the next level a bit too soon. I hope you understand what I'm saying. While I truly did not want it to come to this, I'm hoping we can still be friends. I also want you to know that I really do still love you._

_I must apologize for doing this in writing. I woul__d have preferred to speak to you alone, but after dinner, Brock insisted that I come with him. So I only had time to write this letter addressing my deepest feelings, the way I feel at this moment. Tomorrow, I would like it if you could come find me. Talk to me. I don't want any hard feelings between the two of us._

_Love, Dawn_

The last two words were so botched that Ash could barely make out what they said. However, his vision was starting to become blurred as his eyes welled up with tears. He knew that this was what was known as either Dawn breaking up with him, or Dawn dumping him. It didn't matter which one it was; the fact was they were no longer a couple.

It was so sudden. Ash could feel his heart ripping in two halves. Of course, he was willing to go back to being just friends. But still, he could not deny the hurt he was in at this moment. He was too upset to sleep now. He set down down the letter on his bed and went ouside to clear his head. He was unaware of what was happening on the other side of the Pokémon center.

* * *

Drew and May had come out here to a field behind the center to practice maneuvers and techniques that would be helpful in future contests. _If_ they could ever compete in contests again. They tried not to think of their earlier plights as they had a mock battle. They had just finished battling. Although May was the winner, she got the impression it was because Drew just wasn't focused on the battle, which was not at all in his character.

This started becoming clearer as he congratulated her. After that, the talk became very much of a serious nature. May would soon find out why Drew was troubled.

"Hey, that was a great battle, but I think your Roselia could have made a bit flashier of an entrance, you know?"

"Indeed. That was a great battle. Congratulations, May. But there's something I want to tell you right now."

"What is it?" May asked.

"Well…It's about…us."

"What about us? What're you trying to say?"

Drew gulped before speaking. This was considerably harder than he thought it was going to be. But it had to be done.

"What I'm trying to say is this. May, I love you. You're a very attractive young woman, and any guy would be lucky to call you his girlfriend. But sometimes, things don't always work out."

May was feeling confused and uncomfortable at the same time. Drew continued.

"We have two extremely different personalities, May. That's not to rule out our similarities. We're both coordinators. We both value peace. And we've been through many things in our time together."

May felt tears forming at her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"Drew? Are you saying…?"

"Regrettably… yes. I'm afraid the gap our differences form is too great for there to be much of a future. Sometimes, I think you're more like Ash than anybody else. And that just doesn't bode well with me. Don't get me wrong! I like Ash and all, but…I just don't see how this relationship of ours is gonna work out in the long run." Drew's quivering voice trailed off.

"But…but…does this mean we can't still be friends?" May sobbed.

"I'm willing only if you are."

May looked at the boy who, until a minute ago, was her boyfriend. A hundred thoughts raced through her mind. She was in no mood, however, to sort them out. Part of her said 'yes, let's be friends!' and another said 'no, we took what we had to a new level and now it's all gone.'

"I'm sorry…I need to think about this…" May chocked. With that, she ran to the doors of the center. She just wanted to end this awful day. It was the worst day of her life.

Drew was also upset, and his heart was heavy. Sighing, he decided he'd just go to bed. If May wanted to be friends, she'd find him in the morning, or whenever she was feeling better. He went around the center the opposite direction May went. From there, he went straight to his room and lay down on his bed, careful not to wake Max, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Ash stood with his back against the side wall of the center. His sobbing fits were over, and his tears had dried, though he knew his eyes were still red. The pain was still there, but it had dwindled to a level Ash could sleep with. He was just about to turn and head in when May came sobbing from around the corner.

"Hey, uh, May?"

"Yeah?"

The two teenagers stood and faced each other. For a few seconds, neither one said anything, but proceeded to look upon the changes in the other.

Ash noted immediately that May's outfit was almost the same as the one she'd been wearing the last time he saw her. But the young woman herself had changed considerably. Ash thought his red eyes were playing tricks on him, as May was far more beautiful than he remembered her being. She was about a couple inches taller, and her brown hair (still under that bandana in its trademark twin locks hanging to the sides of her face) was probably a few inches longer. Her hips looked wider, and that blouse seemed to be a much tighter fit on her torso. But what was most captivating were the sapphire-colored eyes. They wove a spell on Ash, though May did not know it.

May observed several changes in Ash's clothing and in general. The vest, gloves, and hat were all different than the ones she remembered seeing Ash wearing on the day they went their separate ways. He was taller, his voice sounded deeper (a tad bit, from what she could tell), and the jet-black hair under his hat was long and looked unkempt. She liked his hair that way. But what truly got to May were his deep auburn eyes that seemed to look beyond anything that could be seen.

The eyes. That was what was needed. Eyes were the windows to the soul. Just by looking at each other's eyes, Ash and May knew they'd both been subjected to a cruel emotional trial.

Suddenly, Ash was overcome with emotion. He wanted to comfort the girl who'd been with him through thick and thin. He wanted to protect her.

"Oh, May!" he cried, opening his arms as an invitation to hug.

"Ash!" May threw herself into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. She rested her head against his shoulders and started crying again. Ash, too, was also in tears again.

But deep down, they both felt better. Ash needed someone to watch over and protect. May needed someone to comfort her and guard her.

They stayed in this way for a long time before saying good night to each other and returning to their respective rooms. Today brought with it great joy and great sorrow. That was what makes the world turn.

However, Ash and May knew mutually that their friendship was revived, their flame relit.

* * *

**Okay, a couple things as I bring this latest installment to a close. First of all, and in case you were thinking it, Ash and May are NOT a couple just yet. If you know how break-ups are, you know they'll need time to let go before they can get back in the game. I personally wouldn't know – I just understand how this sort of thing happens. They will be a couple eventually, though, I promise you that. So don't get discouraged.**

**The other thing is that I finally have another chapter that I can put a song with. This time, it's "Forever" by Papa Roach (YouTube keywords: Forever Papa Roach). You'll have to listen to it to understand how it ties in with this segment of the story.**

**Finally, thank you to everyone who has favorited me as an author, my story (or put either on an alert function)****, and written posts. I love getting feedback, so don't hesitate to shoot something by me. I'm hoping to get the next chapter up very soon****, so stay tuned! Peace out, everyone!**


	13. Building A Bridge

**Chapter 13: Building A Bridge**

The next morning, the sun rose on Viridian City much like it always had. Slowly, life came back to the sleeping town. There was not a cloud in the sky this spring morning. The local forecast predicted it would be a warm day today.

At the town's Pokémon center, everybody ate an early breakfast. Everyone, that is, except for Ash and May, who were still fast asleep, their dreams troubled by earlier events throughout the night. Nobody blamed them. Something seemed wrong, especially to Brock and Dawn.

Brock had only been half-asleep when Ash came in. He had seen the note lying on the bed, but knew it would be disrespectful to look at Ash's personal property without his permission. His suspicions were confirmed, however, when Ash came in the door, and explained to Pikachu softly what had happened. Brock wanted to give Ash his deepest sympathies, but that was not the moment (Ash believed he was fully asleep), and Ash was not at breakfast, which was unusual for him. He never missed breakfast, or any other meal, if he could help it. Of course, somebody else was missing from the table.

May was the first to the room she was sharing with Dawn, and she was tearful as she put on her night clothes and slipped into her bed. She cried herself to sleep. She did not hear Dawn come in. Dawn, however, didn't sleep too well last night, and she still seemed upset as she ate her cereal.

Max was the only person at the table who knew of any of the break ups. He thought he heard Drew sigh a lot as he got ready for bed last night. Max didn't ask until this morning, when he and Drew were fully awake and ready for the day ahead. Drew was hesitant to answer at first, then reluctantly shared his story. At first, Max was happy May had a flirt, but was sad for her and Drew when Drew's story of his break up with May. Out of respect for his older sibling, Max didn't tell anyone else, for which Drew was inwardly grateful.

As Brock, Dawn, Drew, and Max finished their breakfasts, Ash and May both awoke in their rooms, and slowly showered, dressed, and grabbed the last few scraps of bacon and toast before the cafeteria closed for the breakfast hours. They ate slowly, never saying a word to each other (well, not other than the bare necessities of politeness).

Yesterday's calls for help were successful, but this brought with it a pro and a con. On one hand, Misty, Tracey, and even Paul (whom Dawn managed to contact after trying several Pokémon centers without luck) had given consent to help them, and would leave as soon as they could find a break in the town's guard's cycles. This led to the problem; it would be a couple days before they got here, and although Viridian seemed tranquil, there were undoubtedly enemy eyes everywhere. Nonetheless, this was seemingly the only place they could be outside without worry of being kidnapped.

* * *

Seeing as they were tied down to Viridian for a while, the group decided it would be in their best interests to make the best of things now. After all, being confined to one location on the map is no fun if you can't stay active.

Dawn and May decided to spend the day window shopping (and more, obviously). May was thankful for this opportunity, as she was in desperate need of something to take her mind off Drew. The whole shopping experience, in fact, would also be of benefit to Dawn, who, in addition to wanting to get Ash out of her head, wished to get to know May better. The perfect opportunity to do so, as neither knew more of the other than name, age, place of residence, and the fact they were both coordinators.

Ash thought about going to Pallet Town to see his mom and Professor Oak, but decided not to risk any unwanted hassles. Besides, Tracey was aware of the situation, and would no doubt serve as a link between here and Pallet. Instead, Ash decided he'd spend the day touring town and taking a trip down memory lane. He was joined by Max, who had not been to Kanto since the Battle Frontier adventures, as well as Brock and Drew, neither of whom had anything else to do.

* * *

It became readily apparent that May was enjoying herself as she and her new friend Dawn cruised the local shopping mall. Currently, the two girls were in a clothing boutique store, checking out all the dresses, accessories, swimwear…just about everything could not escape the two young women's gazes. In fact, it was midday by the time the two emerged from that boutique, armed with shopping bags full of goodies, and wide grins on both their faces.

They got themselves a table at the food court and ordered their lunches. Dawn had attacked the salad bar, stacking a garden salad, some jello, a yogurt cup, and a bottle of water onto her tray. May joined her, her own tray loaded with chili in a bread bowl, a few slices of pizza, a cup of hot ramen noodles, some French fries… and a 20-ounce bottle of diet soda. Dawn almost gawked at the load on May's tray – clearly, this girl's appetite was of the same caliber as Ash's!

As they munched on their food, the conversation somehow shifted from contest regulations and fashion trends to personal lives and interests. May was hesitant to speak at first, but she trusted Dawn enough, so she spilled the beans about her and Drew. Dawn was in shock.

"So, have you decided whether or not you still want to be friends?" Dawn asked as she shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth.

"Yes…I mean, I think so. It's just…we were battling and all, kinda like in a contest and everything, and all of a sudden, he just up and tells me it's over between us." May's voice was beginning to quiver.

Dawn put on a sympathetic face. "Aw, don't worry, May, it's gonna be just fine! Believe me, I know. I've been there before."

"You…you have?" May asked.

"Mm-hm. Yeppers. You see, it was week ago, I think, that Ash came up to me to tell me…how do I put this…that he had…feelings for me…powerful feelings, May. He said that he was in love with me, and I felt the same way towards him."

May had sort of expected to hear this, based on hints Dawn was dropping right before. Nonetheless, she felt jealous. Ever since Ash rescued her from the dungeons the previous day, she felt her forgotten crush returning to her. She wanted to at least see if he still felt the same way towards her. However, she kept her composure and allowed Dawn to continue without interruption.

"Well, he seemed like the greatest guy ever, but something about him just wasn't clicking with me. I realized this only yesterday when the guards were taking him to see someone. It's just…Ash's a really great guy. I think any girl would be lucky to call him her boyfriend. Really, I do. But he seems like he just flat out loses control of himself sometimes. So I thought it would be best if we parted ways. I don't think he'd be able to put up with my carefree ways in every situation."

"You underscore yourself, Dawn. But how does this relate to what I'm going through, exactly?"

"If I were to guess, I think we both kinda rushed into a relationship without giving any second thoughts to the matter. But hey, that stuff happens, especially when it's your first love."

"True. You bring up a great point."

After finishing lunch, the girls decided to head back to the Pokémon center and just hang out, whether or not the boys were back. They didn't care right now. For them, they'd bonded and helped to heal each other's wounds.

* * *

Ash and Pikachu got a real charge out of revisiting much of the city. Ash remembered when he came here to fight for his last Kanto League badge, the Earth Badge. Back then, it'd been him, Brock, and Misty. On top of that, he'd been on the road for a year. The end of his first year as an aspiring Pokémon trainer. _Where's the time gone? Me and Pikachu have been to so many places, done so many things, and met so many people since then._

As they visited such places as the Viridian gym, Ash and Brock recounted the adventures they'd had here to the Hoenn visitors. Max was awestruck at all the sights. Drew, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much, but he was just with them cause otherwise he'd be alone and bored. It was sorta entertaining, he had to admit.

Suddenly, Ash's stomach gave a low rumble. He looked at his abdomen before looking up and chuckling out of embarrassment.

Max snickered. "I haven't forgotten that sound, Ash! It's time to eat!"

"Well, I'm sure there's a restaurant somewhere around here that we can eat at. Any preferences?" Brock questioned.

"I don't know. Anything's fine with me." Drew stated.

"I wanna go somewhere that hits the spot! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu flashed the peace symbol with his index and middle fingers. Brock sweatdropped. Ash and Pikachu were clearly hungry, and clearly a little _too_ enthusiastic about getting lunch.

"I'm with Ash on that, anything would be good right now." Max chimed in.

"All right, then. Guess we'll just go to the first place we find." Brock sighed. Not that he had any ideas. He just wanted to grab something to eat.

* * *

A short walk and few minutes brought them to a restaurant that specialized in grilled fares. That sounded perfect to everybody, so they entered. Ash checked to see on the window if Pokémon were allowed inside – he typically avoided places that refused to serve Pikachu. To his relief, the sign read "Pokémon welcome! (Some restrictions apply)". Within moments, all four guys were seated at a round table. The place was not posh, but it wasn't out of shape either. It looked just like a grill-type restaurant should. The fan above the table blew a refreshing breeze onto the table.

A short while later, the waiter came. He was a fairly tall old man, with graying hair and a moustache. He wore a white apron, underneath which he wore a red and white striped long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans. He spoke with a slight western accent.

"Well, howdy, my good pardners and esteemed Pikachu! Welcome to the Fryin'-Pan Grille! I am your waiter, Jam – er, excuse me, Jamieson! How may I take care of you today?"

Ash ordered a double cheeseburger (with two orders of fries, one for him and one for Pikachu), Max had a jumbo dog ("onions on the side, please"), Brock ordered pork chops, and Drew had a grilled salmon. Jamieson jotted down each order on his notepad.

"Most excellent! Our chef today is one of Viridian City's top-rates! You will not be disappointed! Now sit back and wait while we get your food ready!" With that, he dashed off through the swinging kitchen door.

Ash looked around the dining area and found they were the only ones here. _Maybe they just opened for lunch…_

His thoughts were interrupted by Brock.

"Hey, Ash, how come you weren't at breakfast with us this morning? May wasn't there either, and she loves food just as much as you!"

"Oh, uh…I just decided to sleep in!" Ash explained quickly.

"Uh-huh." Brock didn't sound convinced.

"What's up, Ash? Trouble in paradise?" Drew ventured.

Ash gritted his teeth. Max, however, found the phrase amusing.

"Trouble in paradise! That's a good one!" Max laughed. He immediately stopped, however, when he saw the stern expression on Ash's face. A feeling of guilt and shame washed over him.

"Yeah. Actually, you hit the nail on the head, Drew."

"I thought so." Drew said. Max and Brock noted his face was also somewhat grim.

"Ash? Is everything okay?" Brock asked, his voice concerned.

Ash let out a long, slow sigh. "Last night…Dawn broke up with me. She wrote me a short note to say that, maybe we rushed into a relationship too quickly. It was so sudden…"

"Pika pi, Pikachu…" the small mouse cooed sadly to his trainer.

"Hey, Ash, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe it was for the best?" Max smiled weakly.

"Well, there comes a time in every man's life when he parts ways with his woman. Then he deals with it however he chooses before he moves on. Don't be upset, Ash. This is normal (_I should know, given all my foiled attempts at love!_), and you'll find someone else soon." Brock encouraged.

Ash tried to smile. "Thanks, you guys. That makes me feel better." He turned to Drew.

"How did you know?"

"Because May and I had a falling out last night ourselves. Some things are just not meant to be, even if they seem like they are."

"Whoa. That's deep…" Ash blankly said. Drew nodded at the pathetic attempt at sympathy. But at least it was sympathy, however weak and pathetic.

Max made amends for his earlier outburst of mirth by changing the subject to what they should do in the afternoon hours, since they had toured all the city they cared to visit. This conversation hardly got underway, however, when Jamieson came back and set all four meals before them.

"Now you enjoy, little pardners! If anything goes wrong, just give a holler!" He dashed back to the kitchen area.

The food looked delicious, and it was almost a rival to Brock's cooking as they dug in. Of course, Pikachu doused his fries in ketchup (to everyone's amusement), and licked some more at his beloved ketchup bottle after those were gone.

"Still licking away at the ketchup bottle, Pikachu…"

This made everyone laugh. Even Pikachu thought it was funny.

Suddenly, a long robotic arm soared through the air and closed its grasp on Pikachu. It carried the screaming Pokémon across the room and placed him in a cage that looked to have been made of reinforced titanium metal. Pikachu, acting on what was now second-nature to him, let off an electrical discharge, to no avail.

"What's going on?" Ash asked. No sooner did he speak then a smoke bomb detonated by the kitchen door. From within the smoke cloud, two familiar voices were heard.

"Prepare for trouble while you eat your lunch!"

"Make it double, our recipes pack a punch!"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To exchange our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!" A woman wearing a chef's outfit tore off her disguise to reveal herself as Jessie in her Team Rocket outfit.

"James!" Jamieson hopped out of the fading smokescreen and shredded off his costume, leaving his blue hair, youthful face, and Team Rocket uniform intact.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Woo-buffett!"

"Mime! Mime!"

"It's Team Rocket!" Ash, Brock, Max, and Drew exclaimed in unison.

James chuckled loudly. "That's right, twerps, and now we'll be taking Pikachu to present it to the boss and get our just –"

Suddenly, a silenced bang blew the restaurant's main doors open as another smokescreen entered. Yet more voices were heard.

"Prepare for trouble…" a female voice called.

"…And make it double!" a male voice replied.

"To infect the world –"

Meowth jumped in front of the dissolving cloud of smoke.

"We already gave the twoips da rundown and taken dere Pikachu!"

Cassidy stepped in.

"Humph. No need to be rude, _cat_."

"Watch your language wit me!" Meowth said, frowning, as he extended his claws.

"Well, can't say I'm surprised to see you got done here already, Jimbo…"

"James…the name is James…" the blue-haired Rocket vented under his breath.

Ash, Max, Brock, and Drew all sweatdropped. They didn't know if the Rockets had forgotten them already. Ash spoke up.

"Um, hello?! Are we gonna get shaken down or what?"

Cassidy laughed. "Impatient little twerp, aren't you? Very well, then. Houndour, use smokescreen!

Butch joined in. "Mightyena, hit them with your swift attack!"

"Seviper, use poison tail!" Jessie cried.

"Carnivine, get in there and show them your –"

Unfortuantely for James, his peers' Pokémon appeared on the floor and began their attacks. Carnivine, however, proceeded to latch her mouth closed on James's head.

"No, not me! The twerps! Get the twerps!" James's muffled wails called.

The battle was a four-on-four match, with each "twerp" facing off against the Rocket he was facing. Ash was to engage Cassidy, Brock would tackle Butch, Drew was pitted against Jessie, and Max was to fight James.

Before the enemy Pokémon could unleash their attacks, Buizel dashed at Houndour, spraying a jet of water at the enemy. Croagunk ran his take down straight towards Mightyena. Roselia dodged Seviper's poison tail, then used sunny day to considerably brighten the room. Last, but not least, Mudkip shot a bubblebeam from his mouth towards the enemy Carnivine.

Pikachu, who could see the showdown in progress, saw neither side gain nor lose ground during the initial volley of attacks. He sighed. He was stuck in a cage, and as usual, the only thing he could do was sit and wait for Ash to win the fight and free him from the Rockets' latest ingenuity.

* * *

**Oh, happy day! I finally was smart enough to give a cliff hanger! ;) So…yeah. But not to worry! I have the day off from classes tomorrow, so I'll resolve these events in the next chapter. What will happen now? Stay tuned!**

**Update: For those of you who read the chapter after I originally submitted it. I would like to thank Secret Identity for pointing out a MAJOR plot hole. Originally, I had Ash battling with Pikachu, but that would be impossible, as he's in a cage and cannot battle. So I changed Ash's combatant to ****Buizel**** to remedy the situation. Other than that, everything else looks good.**


	14. Lost Part 1

**Chapter 14: Lost (Part 1)**

**Ok, picking up where last chapter left off…**

* * *

Ash stood on the opposite side of the dining room from Cassidy. He knew his friends were at his side, and Cassidy had her partners. However, taking Cassidy down was Ash's sole focus now. If he was victorious, he'd assist his friends, then rescue Pikachu. He was slightly worried, though, as there were four Rockets to fight this time instead of the usual two. On top of that, Butch and Cassidy were far more ruthless than Jessie and James. Nonetheless, Ash kept his game face on as he rededicated himself to the task at hand.

Ash's Buizel stood his ground, glaring at Cassidy's Houndour, who was wearing a similar facial expression. Buizel would have an advantage as a water type over Houndour, who was part fire. Houndour didn't look easy to beat, however.

Taking a deep breath, Ash ordered the battle to resume.

"Buizel, hit Houndour with your water gun again!"

"Buizel!" The aquatic weasel Pokémon took a short breath before shooting a spray of water from his mouth towards Houndour.

Cassidy had been expecting this. "Houndour, counter it with fire spin!"

The water and fire attacks collided in mid-air, disappearing in the formation of steam. Still neither side had made progress.

It was now Cassidy's turn to take the offensive. "All right, Houndour, now use your flamethrower attack!"

"Hound-DOUR!" the dark/fire type cried, shooting out a stream of flames towards Buizel.

"Quick, Buizel, dodge it and hit with hydro pump!" Ash commanded.

Buizel did as he was told. Jumping out of the flaming attack's path just in time, Buizel fired a powerful jet of water at Houndour. It was a direct hit, but Houndour shook it off after a moment.

"Okay then. I see how it is, twerp. Houndour, shadow ball!"

Houndour opened her mouth, and dark energy formed into a ball. She then threw the ball of darkness at Buizel, who was knocked flat on his back from the force of the hit. He wasn't done yet as he got up.

"Buizel, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"Buizel, bui!" the creature nodded at Ash.

"All right then, use double slap!"

"Houndour, defend yourself!"

Buizel ran at Houndour, but just as he was about to use his tails to beat at Houndour, a shield of energy formed in front of Houndour, making Buizel's attacks useless.

Cassidy laughed. "Now, Houndour! Knock that weasel back with your take down!"

Houndour's shielding faded as she suddenly ran full speed into Buizel. Buizel was hurt, and it was plain to Ash. However, just when he seemed defeated, Buizel got up.

Buizel stared at his opponent, a worthy foe. He was huffing, and so was Houndour. It was clear that whoever landed the next blow would be the winner.

The final commands were given. Buizel put his all into the hydro pump attack shooting from his mouth. Similarly, Houndour was focused on nothing but getting her continuous fire blast attack to connect with Buizel.

The two attacks connected, and steam appeared as both attacks continued. The water was still evaporating as it extinguished the oncoming flames. Gradually, the fire began giving way. Buizel's streaming attack began pushing towards Houndour. A minute later, the water hit the tired Houndour with a sickening force. Houndour slid across the room, past Cassidy, into a wall. When the steam cleared, Buizel was hyperventilating, with sweat condensing on his forehead. Houndour, however, looked dazed and defeated.

Ash smiled. Cassidy glared at Ash as she recalled Houndour.

"You got lucky at this moment, twerp, but we shall have the upper hand!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Ash smirked.

He turned to Buizel. Ash was afraid the battle with Houndour would make him too weak to assist in any of the other battles in progress. He needed rest.

"You did great, Buizel," Ash commented as he returned Buizel in a red beam into his pokéball.

* * *

While this was going on, Brock and his Croagunk were deeply engaged in his conflict with Butch and his Mightyena. Although Croagunk was helped by the fact he was a partial fighting type up against a dark-type, he still had some difficulties. Mightyena was an elusive foe.

"Croagunk, use cross chop!" Brock ordered, wanting to exploit the enemy Pokémon's weakness.

Neither Butch nor Mightyena were caught off guard because of this.

"Crunch that oversized toad, Mightyena!" Butch shouted.

Croagunk launched one flat hand across the air towards Mightyena, missing by a few inches. Mightena then bit down hard on Croagunk's arm. Despite the pain he was feeling, Croagunk managed to bring his other hand crashing down upon Mightyena's skull. This had the effect of Mightena releasing his toothy grip.

"Grrr! This isn't over, kid! Mightyena, it's payback time!"

Mightyena, who just recovered from the beating, readied its payback ability and charged down Croagunk, striking with a forceful blow. Croagunk had just enough strength to continue, much to Brock's relief.

"Okay, Croagunk, hit him with your mud bomb attack!"

"Croagunk!" The poison/fighting type sprung into action, and it shot a ball of mud from its mouth. It might have been a crippling blow, had Butch not commanded Mightyena to endure the attack.

"Mightyena, let's finish this! Rock Smash now!" Butch cried.

Brock knew that if he was to prevail, he'd need to take a dramatic course of action.

"Croagunk! Counter it with your dynamic punch!"

The two opposing Pokémon both leaped into the air. In mid-flight, they landed their blows upon each other before falling down to the floor. They each stood momentarily before collapsing. Seeing as both were now fainted, neither Brock nor Butch could claim victory in this battle. As they recalled their respective gladiators, they stood alongside their friends.

* * *

Drew was locked in a heated battle with Jessie, who had a stern look on her face. To Drew, he didn't care to hear the reasoning behind it. All he knew was that there were four very annoying Rockets he and his friends had to eliminate. In front of him, his Roselia fought against an intimidating Seviper.

So far, Roselia had successfully paralyzed Seviper with his stun spore attack. Before that, though, Seviper had landed a lucky blow with its poison tail attack, and Roselia was only now beginning to feel the effects of the poison. Although Roselia was still able to land good blows on slow-moving Seviper, each attack came with its price in lost stamina. It would be over soon, as trainer and Pokémon were well aware of.

Before ordering an attack, Drew took a moment to look around. To his right, Max was battling James's Carnivine with his Mudkip, and although he seemed to be doing well, Mudkip was getting fatigued. To Drew's left, Ash and Brock were battling away in what was presumably the final moments of their own fights.

Drew now returned his attention and thoughts back to this battle of his own. Suddenly, an idea came to him that would be of benefit to himself and his friends (not so much Ash and Brock, who were dealing the final blows in their own battles).

"Roselia, lemme see your aromatherapy!"

"Rose!" The grass-type released several multi-colored spores from his rose-shaped fists and took a deep breath. This resulted in Roselia recovering much of his health, as well as being cured of the poison. This seemed to give a boost to Mudkip one battlefield over.

"Thanks, Drew!" Max shouted without looking towards him.

"Don't mention it!" Drew said without taking his eyes off the battle in front of him.

"Seviper, try and bite that silly plant!" Jessie commanded.

Seviper moved as quickly as it could to sink its large red fangs into Roselia. Drew, trying to stifle a laugh at the paralyzed Pokémon's disability, gave one last command to conclude the battle.

"Roselia, use solarbeam at full power!"

"Rose!" Roselia cried before firing a bright beam of energy point-blank at Seviper, whose mouth was wide open and about to strike. Very nasty surprise to get a solarbeam in the mouth!

* * *

Max may have been the newest combatant of the eight trainers here, but he had seen Team Rocket trounced enough to know how it was done.

His starter, Mudkip, stood on the field, staring down his opponent. He was fully refreshed and ready for round two, thanks to Roselia's aromatherapy ability. Carnivine, however, looked excited to have another chance to humiliate Max.

"Carnivine, use your hidden power against that Mudkip!"

Max smiled. "Oh, no you don't! Mudkip, dodge it if you can, then give him a little ice beam!"

Carnivine produced several balls of energy around itself which, a moment later, fired in several directions. One ball flew through the air at Mudkip, but the mud fish Pokémon was successful at maneuvering around the attack as it deflected harmlessly off the floor. Taking in a deep breath, Mudkip then shot a ray of freezing energy at Carnivine, who was encased in a block of ice as a result.

Just as the bout seemed over, however, Carnivine glowed an eerie red in his ice casing, which shattered after shaking violently. Mudkip looked surprised. Max was too, but reasoned that Carnivine must have been holding a burned berry.

James chuckled before continuing. "Nice going, Carnivine! Now let's show the twerp and his little friend a sludge bomb attack!"

Carnivine shot a large purple goo ball from its large maw at the diminutive Mudkip. As it made contact, Mudkip flew through the air and hit the ground hard at Max's feet.

"Mudkip! Are you alright?"

"Mudkip, mud!"

"Glad to hear it, buddy. Let's try a mud slap!"

"Carnivine, hit it with your bullet seed attack!" James ordered. In a moment of reminiscence, James hoped this would be just as effective as it had been for the one twerp when he still had a Sceptile.

"Mudkip, watch out!" Max shouted as Mudkip ran towards Carnivine, dodging the small glowing projectiles and, placing a paw to his cheek to get it good and muddy, gave the Carnivine a good slap on the top of the head. Carnivine reeled from this blow.

"Excellent! Now ice him again!"

"Carnivine! Hyper beam!" James shouted in desperation.

The two energy beams collided in mid-air with a small explosion following. Something unusual had taken place, though. Both trainers were surprised by the scene that was revealed with the disappearance of the smoke cloud.

Mudkip stood its ground, seeming to be unharmed. Carnivine, however, was once again encased in a tomb of ice. It seemed that Mudkip's ice beam not only deflected the hyper beam, but had enough force to it to be able to freeze Carnivine a second time. James looked very enraged as he recalled his frozen Pokémon.

* * *

In that one instant, all four battles were concluded. All of the Rockets' Pokémon were either fainted or rendered unable to continue battling. The heroes, however, still had two Pokémon standing on their side of the floor. It appeared as though the Rockets' blast off was very imminent.

Jessie, James, and Meowth all cringed. Typically, this would be the part where the twerps, fresh from victory, would use Pikachu or one of their other partners to send them "blasting off again." Out the corner of her eye, Jessie thought she saw a smirk of some sort on Cassidy's lips.

Drew had had enough of the annoying villains. He stepped forward, frustration in his eyes.

"Okay, Roselia, use solar beam to send them sky high!" he cried.

"You help him, too, Mudkip! Use hydro pump!" Max joined in.

Just as their Pokémon were about to launch their final assault on the Rockets, Butch seemed to jump at them.

"Not so fast, twerps! We had a …ahem, _backup plan_ in case things turned sour."

"Say wha-?" Meowth gawked. Jessie and James also shot incredulous looks at the green-haired Rocket.

"You may have won the battle, but we'll be the ones walking away with the ultimate prize this time, twerps!" Cassidy shouted. She withdrew from her pocket some kind of remote control and pushed a button on it.

A mechanical whirring sound was heard behind the heroes. Just as Ash, Brock, Drew, and Max turned around, they saw a few cannons shoot four durable rope nets. In seconds, they and the two Pokémon were ensnared. Their attempts to get out of the entanglement proved fruitless.

Cassidy pushed a second button on the remote she held. A large metal plate in the ceiling opened. Through the sunlight pouring in from it, Ash could see a helicopter lowering a hook. The hook snagged the four nets and began lifting them out of the room.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted as loudly as he could at his shrinking friend.

"Pika pi! Pika pika!" Pikachu screamed so Ash could hear it before the nets disappeared through the ceiling. A second later, the metal plate closed with a loud clang.

Jessie, frowning, turned to face Cassidy.

"All right. Why didn't you tell us you had this planned?"

Cassidy let out a small laugh. "Typical Jessie, never having a follow-through plan. It's no wonder they always beat the pants off of you three!"

"Ever wonder why the boss holds such high regard for us and next to none for you three clowns?" Butch interjected.

James clenched his teeth and caught himself before he could make a snide remark.

"Just shut up and help us carry carry this Pikachu to the boss," he managed to say in as calm a voice as he could muster.

Meowth decided to help break the ice on a positive note.

"Hey, since we got Pikachu, dat means de boss will give us the attention we so badly desoive afta all dese years!"

"Thanks to us, of course." Cassidy said offhandedly.

"Oh, just can it, Cassidy. Nobody likes a gloater." Jessie retorted.

Cassidy gave Jessie an offended look but grabbed the cage Pikachu was in and carried it towards the doorways. The others followed.

Meowth sighed. _I guess dere's no convincin' them ta woik together,_ he lamented to himself as he stepped through the doorway. He took one look back at where success and defeat had been mingled for everybody. Sighing again, he walked out of the restaurant and followed the others to where the boss's office building was. The same building the helicopter took the twerps to.

Nobody knew it yet, but this was the first battle in the clash that was coming to Viridian City. The first round of an epic war came to a close. It was only just the beginning.


	15. Lost Part 2

**Chapter 15: Lost (Part 2)**

The boss Rocket, Giovanni, sat alone in his office. He sighed as he opened the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling out a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey. He poured the liquor into the small beverage container and quickly drained it.

The strength of the brew made him wince and exhale noisily. He almost never drank anything alcoholic. He only drank when he was either feeling particularly festive, or when he was under record levels of stress. It was because of the latter he was drinking now. _All because of Ash,_ he cursed under his breath. The Persian beside him took no notice of any of this.

The past 24 hours had been a nightmarish experience. In the past day alone, he'd been humiliated to no end. All was well at first – Pikachu and several other Pokémon were in his possession, and there were six prisoners in his basement.

Then that Ash kid came along and caught him completely off guard. By day's end, the Pikachu was missing and Ash and his five other prisoners had managed to escape. To add insult to injury, he went down to the basement to find two things: he had no Pokémon to pawn on the black market, and Harley was inexplicably locked within a cell, his wrist bound to the cell's bars. Oh, what a mess that was to take care of!

Giovanni poured another glass of whiskey and downed it. He had, of course, added several security devices and procedures that morning. The key-operated locks on the cell doors were replaced with high-tech combination locks that were resistant to electrical disturbances. On top of that, he now required any visitors to be escorted by not one but two guards, who were to keep a very close eye on them at all times.

Just as he was beginning to wonder if the extra security was really a necessary precaution, the cell phone in his pocket filled the air with its music. He quickly pulled the small device out of his pocket out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open.

"What is it?... I see. Excellent. Take them to the basement and make sure to shut them up correctly. Send their belongings to my office. …Great. Do me a favor – I want extra security to be keeping an eye on him at all times even when he's down there. I'll send someone shortly."

Well, this was a surprising development for the Rocket boss. He chuckled. Things might be starting to turn around. The phone call had been to alert him to the recapture of four of yesterday's escapees. He'd get the other two later. For now, he turned back to his administrative duties, beginning with the periodic email check. The inbox contained a few spam emails that had overridden the spam filter…and a message from Cyrus. Giovanni clicked it.

_Hail, Giovanni._

_The expedition that had been dispatched to Sinnoh has returned. The mission was a success. We now have Palkia and Dialga in our possession. I've alerted Maxie and Archie to this latest development as well. Prepare yourself. It is time…to begin the final phase of the plan._

_-Cyrus, Team Galactic boss_

_About time. Now we can get started on reforming this world._

Giovanni had heard and seen enough. For all it was worth, this sudden turn of luck merited a celebration of sorts. He simply smiled and drank a third shot of whiskey. He knew he should stop soon – it wouldn't look good to be acting like a lunatic in front of his esteemed affiliates.

Just as he finished putting the whiskey bottle and shot glass back in their respective drawer, the double office doors swung open, and five of his own employees stepped in. One of them was carrying…PIKACHU?!

Giovanni felt his jaw drop.

Cassidy giggled. "We thought you'd be pleased, boss."

It took him a minute for Giovanni to find his voice. "Well done, you five. For once, you've actually succeeded," he said, turning to face Jessie, James, and Meowth as he spoke.

"Well, your timing is just perfect. I have a new job for all of you. Here it is…"

* * *

Ash had been asleep mentally ever since he and his friends were airlifted out of the restaurant. Now that all the touching, grabbing, fondling, yelling and pushing had stopped, he made himself alert of all that had happened.

To his great dismay, he found himself in an uncomfortably familiar scenario. In fact, he was locked up within the same cell he and Dawn had occupied only a short day ago. This horrid cell offered even less fortitude than yesterday. Less than 24 hours ago, Ash was in here with his girlfriend, Dawn. Since then, they'd parted ways. Ash thought it was somehow a cruel irony that he was here in this exact same cell. Alone this time. And once again, without his Pokémon.

Remembering the general proximity the cells had to each other, Ash approached the door to his cell. He noticed the lock was different now. He sighed in discouragement, but then remembered what he was going to do.

"Hey! Can anyone hear me?" Ash shouted.

"Ash! Is that you?" Brock's voice echoed.

"Yeah, it is! Could you check on Drew and Max?"

"Yeah, one moment, though!"

Ash stood silently as he listened to Brock's echo bounce off the walls. He began the same way Ash had started their own conversation. He took a step back and leaned his back against the wall. It was all he could do to wait while the chain of communication continued.

The communication line went from Brock's cell to Max's, proceeding on to Drew's, where the response began traveling in the opposite direction. It was a minute before Ash could get a reply to his request. He stood up as Brock's voice sounded through the empty hallway.

"Max and Drew say they're fine, but don't have their Pokémon with them. Same as I!"

"Sorry to hear that, Brock!" Ash called back.

Presently, Harley came by Ash's cell, whistling a tune and not taking notice of Ash.

"Hey, Harley, what's the combination for the lock?" Ash mockingly asked.

Harley rolled his eyes and scoffed at the trainer. "Right. Like I'm telling you. Especially after what you did to poor me yesterday! The master was most displeased, I'll have you know!"

"Yeah, and I aim to make it happen again! Just go easy on yourself and let me and my friends out." Ash bragged.

Harley closed his eyes and let out a chuckle. "You won't be going anywhere while I'm in charge down here. Letting you out of that cell was a mistake in the first place. A HUGE mistake. So if I'm not mistaken, nothing'll happen if I DON'T let you out!"

Laughing, Harley then resumed his patrol, soon disappearing behind the corner. His whistling soon became inaudible. Ash sighed. He wondered what time it was.

From the nearby basement door, Ash could hear footsteps approaching. It was Team Rocket! Butch and Cassidy stopped at Ash's cell and entered the code to unlock the door. Jessie, James, and Meowth continued down the hallway and out of sight. They took no notice of Ash.

Ash turned to face Butch and Cassidy and frowned.

"What do you two want?" he snarled.

"You're in _our_ territory now, twerp, so you'll be doing as we say while you're out of your little internment. The boss wishes to see you and one of your friends together. Since he knows more about you now, he's requested to do things a little differently. Now, quickly, you'll be coming with us." Butch explained.

Before Ash could protest, Cassidy locked Both of Ash's hands together in handcuffs and, with Butch's assistance, led Ash out of the cell and towards the elevator to the top floor. Despite escape attempts, the two Rockets had a very firm grip on his arms as they escorted him.

* * *

May and Dawn were still in the Pokémon center while this was happening. The two girls had had their fill of televised Pokémon contests, and were now working on Sudoku puzzles together. May took a glance at the clock. It read 4:47 PM. A look of worry came over her face. Dawn, looking at May, noticed this.

"Something wrong, May?" Dawn asked.

May blushed as she turned to face Dawn. "Oh…nothing. Just thought the guys would have returned by now."

Dawn smiled. "No need to worry. I'm sure they're just out somewhere, probably even exploring the outskirts of town!"

May giggled. "I guess you're right. Hopefully, they'll be back any time now."

"Well, in the mean time, let's try and finish this puzzle. We've still got a few more rows and columns to fill in…"

* * *

Ash was angry and nervous as he and his escorts stood outside the guarded doors to Giovanni's posh office. The guards said no entry would be allowed until both captives were present. Ash wondered who it could be. He didn't wait for long.

Jessie, James, and Meowth came from behind them and stood to their sides. In between Jessie and James, Brock stood with a look of scorn on his face. His mood seemed to lighten up as he looked and saw Ash.

The door guards pulled the doors open and both parties entered. This time, the guards closed the doors and stood inside the office itself. As Ash and Brock were seated, their bonds were left intact.

Giovanni, who was facing the window in the back wall, swiveled around in his chair to face the newcomers.

"So. We meet again, Ash. And who might you be?" he said, looking in Brock's direction.

"I'm Brock."

Giovanni smirked. Presently, both Ash and Brock looked at the cage sitting on the desk, where Pikachu looked overjoyed to see some friendly faces. "Pikachu! Pika, pika pi, Pikachu!"

Ash clenched his teeth. He had no idea whatsoever of how he was going to free Pikachu this time. There were too many guards present this time around, and the cage definitely looked like it could withstand a fall from almost any height. As far as he knew, he definitely wouldn't be as lucky as he was last time. To escape with Pikachu and his friends, Ash would need a well thought-out plan, not something that was thrown together in five seconds.

"Truly a pity I must increase my security presence here today." Giovanni started.

"Why? Is it because Harley's an incompetent fool?" Ash grunted.

"No. Don't you get cocky with me, boy. It's because of _you_ I had to crack down on everything the way I did! It's lucky your escorts found you and brought you to me."

Ash sat back and folded his arms. "So what? All I did was free Pikachu, help my friends escape, and laid a pounding on Harley. Besides, we've found ways to get around the guards of yours in the past."

Giovanni shot him a look of annoyance. Clearly, the past day had only made this kid more reckless.

"Let's not forget who's the one in charge here. I have all your Pokémon here with me, and there's nothing you can do to get them back."

As Ash looked around, he saw a chest along the back wall. It looked just like the one in the storage room yesterday, except it had a combination lock on it, and only Giovanni knew the code.

"So I'm assuming you're going to try and talk me into joining up with you again. Sorry, I still say not interested." Ash plainly stated.

Giovanni smirked. "Just as well. I wasn't even going to ask. The time for negotiation has come and gone. I'm afraid your choice will contribute to your undoing. Now I must eliminate you before it's too late. You know too much."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brock forcefully asked.

Giovanni laughed. "Why, our plans, of course! In case you didn't know, I've teamed up with Teams Aqua, Magma, and Galactic to bring this world under our control. As we speak, I have everything needed to make the Team Rocket vision a reality! By using the combined powers of Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie, we forged a red chain to contain the powers of Palkia and Dialga. And now that those two are here, we are so close to accomplishing my late mother's goal!"

"Wait. Am I to understand there's five legendary Pokémon in this building?" Brock inquired suddenly.

"Oh, yes, my unfortunate friend, and soon there will be more amongst their ranks! And once that happens, there'll be nothing anybody can do to stop us!"

"Then what're you keeping us in here for?" Ash wondered.

"You see, there were six of you yesterday, yet my underlings could only locate the four of you. Regardless of how many are here, you are all now a threat to this achievement, and I'll be a Mankey's uncle if you ruin this!"

Ash could contain himself no longer. "Not today, you won't be taking rule over anything!" Ash then jumped out of his seat and tried to secure Pikachu's cage. Butch and Cassidy, who stood guard over him, grasped the ill-tempered trainer and told him there would be trouble if he tried anything like that again.

Now Brock was agitated into taking action. "We've got trouble already!" And in the blink of an eye, Brock leaped out of his seat and swung his bound fists up into James's chin, knocking him flat on his back.

Jessie and Meowth attacked Brock. The door guards ran towards the brawl to pry the other grunts off of Brock. Unfortuantely, Brock still managed to get a forceful blow to each of their faces.

Butch and Cassidy slightly let up their grip on Ash as they became aware of the tussle. Taking advantage of the situation, Ash kneeled down, pulled on of Cassidy's legs out from under her (causing her to crash loudly to the floor and knocking the wind out of her), and punched Butch where the sun don't shine. As he got up, though, a Magma guard and Aqua enforcer (who entered the office right after the fighting began) ran up to Ash, punched him in the nose, and grabbed him by his arms and legs. They carried him out of the office.

It took the combined efforts of Jessie, James, and Meowth to pin Brock to the floor. They were assisted by Cassidy as she came up to them, holding one arm under her ribs. Behind her, Butch slowly regained his feet, holding his hands cupped over his groin. Together, they took the feisty breeder back to his basement prison cell.

Giovanni sighed as he was left alone in the office. "Truly a pity you couldn't see things my way…" he said, referring to Ash. He got ready to leave. This had been a crazy day, and he wanted to get out of here before anything else happened.

* * *

May sat on the couch in the lobby of the Viridian City Pokémon center. About ten minutes ago, she and Dawn had finished all the Sudoku puzzles they wanted to complete.

On the other side of the couch, Dawn had just fallen into a relaxed nap. Since she hadn't slept well the previous night, she decided to make up a few Z's before dinner. May also hadn't been able to sleep last night, but she just didn't feel drowsy at the moment.

She glanced at the clock again. 5:29 PM. May then looked in a forward direction. She began jabbing her index fingertips into each other. This was a habit of hers which she did whenever she was nervous or uncertain about something. _Why haven't they come back yet? They should've been here by now. Especially Ash – I know he'd never miss out on a meal!_

May looked at the clock yet again and saw it was 5:32 PM. Something was wrong. She knew it in her heart. She couldn't shake the feeling the boys were stuck in some situation and needed help. For 45 minutes, she'd waited patiently. Now, she could wait no longer. May went over to Dawn and shook her.

"Wha – what time is it?" Dawn yawned.

"Well past the time when the guys should've come back! Dawn, I think something's happened to them! It's almost dinner time, and I know Ash'd never miss a meal if he could eat it!"

"Where do you think they could've gone?"

"I don't know…Wait! Maybe they were captured by the people who took us hostage yesterday!"

"I bet you're right. Let's go!"

The two young ladies readied themselves for their trip, making sure their loyal Pokémon were at their sides. Once this was done, they ran outside into the fading daylight.

"Going somewhere?" two raspy women's voices called, freezing Dawn and May in their tracks. They turned around to find themselves ambushed by a pair of Rocket grunts.


	16. Bust Out And Blast Off

**Chapter 16: Bust Out And Blast Off**

"What do you want with us?" Dawn asked, her forceful voice making the question sound more like a threat. May frowned and nodded.

The slightly taller of the two Rocket women laughed a cold, sinister laugh. "The boss told us we might find you jailbirds around here. It's time to bring you back…"

"I don't think so! C'mon out, Blaziken!" May shouted, throwing Blaziken's pokéball onto the ground in front of her. In a flash of light, the towering blaze Pokémon took to its defensive position.

"Blaziken!" She cried.

"You come out, too, Pachirisu!" Dawn shouted, releasing the electric squirrel. As May looked at it, she was surprised by its resemblance to Pikachu.

On the other side of the field, the Rockets sent out a Dunsparce and a Hitmonchan to fight. The battle began immediately afterwards.

Following May's commands, Blaziken launched a flaming fist towards the enemy Dunsparce, who dug underground at the right moment. Just as Blaziken wondered where her foe had gone, Dunsparce suddenly shot up from the ground, knocking Blaziken to ground.

Meanwhile, Pachirisu was jumping back and forth to avoid Hitmonchan's rapid punch attack. Pachirisu then gave a cry of "Pachiri-SUU!" and sent a powerful blue bolt of electrical energy at Hitmonchan.

Dunsparce was unable to dodge Blaziken's quick attack, but as it hit the ground, it shot a bubblebeam at the fire-type. Shaking off the relatively weak attack, Blaziken jumped high into the sky, then, one flaming foot in front of her, came crashing down on Dunspace like a meteor. The weakened Dunsparce managed to use counter, getting a good hit on Blaziken. In a final, devastating move, Blaziken launched her blast burn attack, charring Dunsparce and knocking it into the grunt with such force that the grunt fell into unconsciousness.

In desperation, Hitmonchan tried freezing Pachirisu with an ice punch. Narrowly dodging the attack, Pachirisu used thunder wave to paralyze Hitmonchan, then used thunderbolt to send it crashing into its trainer, who was also beaten into unconsciousness.

May and Dawn recalled their respective Pokémon and were about to get underway again when a man's voice came from behind.

"Heh, congratulations on your battle. However, I see that you're tired out now. Just perfect! I'm in luck!"

The girls turned around to see another grunt standing a few meters away. The man, who could be identified as a Team Magma guard based on his outfit, opened one of his pokéballs, and a Graveler took the field.

"All right now, ladies. You'll be coming with us, or there'll be big trouble headed your way! The boss sent me to find you two. He and lord Giovanni have been searching for you!"

"Well, tough. We're looking for our friends, and we don't have time to chat now. So if you'd be so kind, we'd like to get going without incidence," May huffed.

"Heh, so you're heading towards your enemies even now! Excellent. I won't stop you, then. But let me give you this parting gift. Graveler, use –"

"Go, Scyther! Stop Graveler with your leaf blade attack!"

"Scyther!" The bug/flying type went into action, its two large scythes glowing a bright green. In one fell swoop, the Scyther landed on its feet. Behind it, the Graveler stumbled and collapsed onto its master, knocking him out cold.

May smiled at the young man running up to Scyther.

"Thanks for saving us, …uh…"

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Tracey Sketchit. I'm professor Oak's assistant in Pallet Town."

"Ditto. My name's May. I'm from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region."

"And I'm Dawn. I hail from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region."

"Wow, you've both come a long way. I'm sorry your visit to the Kanto region turned out to include this."

"No need to worry!" Dawn gave her trademark expression.

"Yeah, it couldn't be helped, Tracey. Besides, I've been here to Kanto before. It's a wonderful place, based on what I can remember from the last time I was here with Ash."

Tracey raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ash's name. "Is Ash okay? He called me the other day, saying there was trouble here in town, so I came as soon as I could."

May's cheerful face became one full of worry. "It's kind of a long story, Trace. We'll just tell you what you need to know now, and tell the rest later. Right now, I have a gut feeling Ash, Brock, Drew, and my brother, Max, are all in trouble."

* * *

For about the next ten minutes, both May and Dawn filled Tracey in on what they think had happened and what their plan was. To Tracey, it was an insane idea, but he liked it nonetheless.

After dragging the unconscious grunts out of sight and dressing themselves in the garments of their foes, May, Dawn, and Tracey began heading towards the Rocket's building, the same one May and Dawn had been incarcerated in yesterday. Dawn didn't particularly relish the thought of going back to that place, but if May was right (and she believed May was right), then the guys were in need of a rescuing.

The guards suspected nothing as Dawn and May, dressed as Rockets, entered the building, followed by Tracey, dressed as a Magma grunt. Things were going smoothly. In their disguises, they'd be able to sneak around the building without detection while they searched for the guys. However, May decided they'd have to split up.

Giving the instructions, Dawn asked Tracey and May to take the elevator down to the basement to the prison area, while Dawn herself would risk searching around the upper floors. Dawn knew her part was the riskiest, but she had to do it in order to succeed. Besides, there were bound to be things of interest upstairs.

Tracey and May stepped into the elevator and went down to the basement. A minute later, the elevator car came back up to the first floor. Dawn stepped in, pushed a button taking her up one floor, and took a deep breath, exhaling as the doors closed and the elevator moved upwards.

* * *

_This sucks. This is just not my day,_ Ash thought, nursing his nose, which was still oozing blood. In addition to the nosebleed, those rather rough guards had given him what he was sure to be a nice black eye. He suspected Brock had sustained several similar wounds.

The scuttle in Giovanni's office didn't exactly go according to plan, but then again, it was yet another spontaneous train of ideas that he acted upon as they occurred to him. This reminded Ash that he'd need an elaborate, thorough plan to get out of here. However, he doubted he'd be let out of his cell ever again.

Harley stopped at Ash's cell and looked in, a stupid smirk crawling across his face.

"Well, well, well. Look what's happened to the big mouth!" he mocked.

"Shut up, Harley. I can still take you."

Harley laughed loudly. "Oh, you mistaken fool! You couldn't even fight back the master's guards! If we were to have it out right now, I could win simply because you're in no fighting shape. Look at you! Your nose is bleeding, and may I say what a lovely black eye you have?"

In his rage, Ash ran to the iron bars and threw his fists out at Harley.

"Come closer! I'll strangle you!"

Harley, who was way out of the angry youth's reach, closed his eyes and grinned. "I don't think I want to. Enjoy the rest of your life in that cell. You can rot in there for all I care."

Whistling, Harley walked towards the elevators, his joy following him out of sight and out of earshot.

_Stupid, evil Harley...I hope he gets what's coming to him!_ Ash was so angry, he shouted out his thoughts.

"You got that right, Ash!" Brock's voice called. The communication chain got started once again when Max inquired what Brock was talking about. And so it became obvious to Max and Drew what had transpired in the last several minutes.

* * *

_DING!_

The elevator doors slid open, allowing the disguised May and Tracey to step out. To their shock, a man whose clothes resembled a Cacturne was waiting for an elevator. He turned to face them, pushing his purple hair out of his face.

"Not again! Does the master need visitors again already?" Harley asked, unaware that Giovanni had left the building some time ago.

"Uh…" Tracey stood glued to the floor. What was this guy talking about?

May came to his rescue. "Yes, he does. If you don't mind, we'll be needing the trainer named Ash."

Harley winced. "Oh…alright. Here's the combinations to all the cells. I assume you remember the rule: two guards to every prisoner. Let me give you a tip: he's _very_ combative, so don't ever let your guard down around him!"

Harley reached into his pocket, produced a piece of paper, and handed it to May. He still didn't know the Rocket in front of him was actually one of his rivals.

"Thanks. Oh, and the boss says you can leave for the day."

"Really? He's never dismissed me early before…"

"_Leave._" Tracey growled, catching on to May's charade.

"Oh…why, yes, of course. I'll leave right away and leave you two alone. But remember, _be cautious with Ash!_"

As soon as the elevator had taken Harley upstairs, they proceeded into what looked like a prison complex. May led the way, since she remembered this place well. In no time, they came to Ash's cell.

Ash was leaning against the wall, cursing under his breath, when he looked up to see a Rocket grunt enter the code to his cell door. Opening it, she and a Magma guard entered.

"Oh, you want more? I'll give you mo—"

May ran up to Ash and placed her hand over his mouth.

"Ash, it's me! May!" she said, taking her hand off his mouth. She removed the cap to make her identity clear to him.

"_May?_ What're you doing here? Please don't tell me you joined Team Rocket!"

May shot Ash a look of annoyance. "Oh, relax, Ash, I'd never work for Team Rocket! I'm here to get you and the others out."

Relieved, Ash turned to the Magma guard, who lowered his hood to make his face visible.

"Great to see you again, Ash. It's been a long time."

Ash smiled. "Tracey! When did you get here?"

"Oh, not too long ago, and when I arrived, things seemed far worse than you described to me."

"Why're you guys all dressed up, then?" Ash asked.

"We, ahem, _borrowed_ these so we could get into the building without detection. Dawn's here, too. She's somewhere above us, having a look around." May explained.

"Well, that's great, but I don't have my Pokémon with me! Giovanni's got them and Pikachu locked up in his office on the top floor!" Ash huffed.

Tracey looked thoughtful. "All right, so I guess we'll bust the others out of here and look for Dawn and your Pokémon before we get out of here."

Ash nodded, and followed his friends to free Brock, Max, and Drew.

* * *

Dawn was more than halfway up the building. Of the ten floors of this building, she was currently on the seventh floor. She started her search on the second floor and, finding nothing unusual, proceeded up to the next. On each floor, she was able to fool everyone she encountered, but their personalities became less welcoming as she climbed upwards.

Dawn sighed. She just now finished her search of the seventh floor and found nothing. Stepping into the elevator, she pressed the button to take her to the eighth floor. Stepping out, she began another search. Ten minutes later, it ended in the same way as the others. Dawn also noted how nasty the people on this floor were. They seemed angry she was here, where she had no business.

Once more, Dawn boarded the elevator and headed to floor nine. It was here that things became really interesting. There were no friends, no Pokémon…no people, even! But Dawn noticed two metallic doors on the side of the room. At the far end of the room, there was some sort of giant energy-sucking machine. Between Dawn and this machine was a table. Dawn walked over to it.

The table's surface was buried underneath reports, blueprints, and miscellaneous other documents.

The blueprint documented the machine in the room. Apparently, there were two large platforms with several electrical pads to be applied to the subject's skin at certain points. A second picture on the blueprints showed how Dialga and Palkia were to be hooked up to this abomination of science and technology.

Her interest whetted, Dawn looked at one of the documents.

_Date: (blank)_

_Report: Sinnoh expedition successful. We now have Dialga in our keeping. The legendary, which is to be used alongside Palkia, will be kept in the lab on the ninth floor of the Viridian office building. For now, we are keeping the two in separate rooms and are constantly keeping them sedated. We will standby until lord Cyrus gives the command. We shall then hook the two legendaries to the machine. Electrical impulses should stimulate a reaction on the part of the two Pokémon. We shall then tweak the machine's settings to lure all other legendaries into the vicinity. Once that is completed, we shall modify the machine to fit the others. Hypothetically, __the combined powers of all the legendaries should be enough to overwhelm the denizens of this world as we seek to rebuild it to each of the lords' likings._

Dawn put the report down in horror. The situation was far worse now than it had looked at first glance. Looking again at the doors in the sides of the room, Dawn guessed that was where Palkia and Dialga were being kept.

_So, these goons seek world domination. Not if me and my friends can help it!_

Dawn was more than happy to enter the elevator and head up to the tenth floor. Once the elevator stopped, she walked into a carpeted hallway. There were four doors to the side, and one at the end of the hallway. As she walked, she read each sign outside the corresponding door.

The first door's sign had a red mountain rage on it – the symbol of Team Magma. It read:

_Maxie_

_Team Magma Head Boss_

_Hours: 9 AM – 5 PM. Visitation by appointment only._

All the other signs along the side read similar things, differing only in symbol, boss's name, and boss's title. Archie's office was across the hall from Maxie's, and further down, an empty office suite sat across from Cyrus's office. Finally, May came to the final door. The sign read:

_Giovanni_

_Team Rocket Head Boss_

_Hours: 9 AM – 5 PM. Visitation by appointment only. Security cameras in use inside._

Dawn hoped that nobody would recognize her in her disguise as she opened the door, which she was surprised to find was unlocked.

The clock on the back wall read 6:13 PM. What the time was, however, was trivial to Dawn as she heard a familiar voice.

"Pika! Pika pi! Pikachu!" the yellow electric-type shouted out to Dawn, happy to be in the company of someone he recognized.

"C'mon, Pikachu," Dawn said as she snatched the cage off of the desk. The cage had no doors, and Dawn was unable to find a way to open the cage. She'd have to break Pikachu out. She knew how, but didn't have any fire-types that would be needed.

Now that she had Pikachu, Dawn noticed a chest along the back wall behind the desk and in front of the window. She kneeled down to get a better look at it. She wanted to find out what was inside, but the chest was locked by a combination lock. She felt discouraged.

"Pika, Pikachu," the mouse said.

"You sure you can do it, Pikachu?" Dawn asked.

"Pika, pika!"

"All right, then." Dawn set the caged Pikachu down right in front of the lock.

Pikachu shoved his round arms between the bars of his cramped prison and perked up one pointy ear. Just as skilled thieves could open twist-knob combination locks, so could Pikachu with a number lock. As he pushed buttons and numbers scrolled up and down in four viewing slots, he listened carefully for clicks in the locking mechanism to indicate a correct number in the correct position. After a few minutes, he heard a fourth click. Pushing a fifth button, the chest made a loud click, indicating the lock had been disarmed.

"Nice work, Pikachu!" Dawn praised as she opened the lid of the chest. Inside were several pokéballs. She could guess who these belonged to – the Rockets made it clear to take Pokémon off captives at the time of incarceration. Carrying the balls in one arm and Pikachu's cage in the other, Dawn got up and headed out the office towards the elevator.

During this time, a security camera witnessed the whole thing, as did three individuals who were watching the whole thing on screen in another part of the building. Quickly, they got up and headed towards the main entrance of the building to intercept the theif.

* * *

Now that Brock, Max, and Drew were once again freed from their cells, Ash, May, and Tracey (the latter two now discarded their guises, as they were no longer necessary) made their way towards the elevator to head up to check on Dawn. Just as they got there, the elevator door opened.

"Harley…" Drew gasped.

"I thought I told you to leave!" Tracey shouted at Harley as he stepped out of the elevator car.

"And so you did, though I see now that I was fooled. I just came back here to make sure everything was okay, and I'm glad I did, because I see there's a jailbreak in progress!"

Ash glared at Harley. His nose had stopped bleeding several minutes ago, but his eye was still black. Nonetheless, he was ready to throw down with the jailor.

Harley turned a cold look towards Ash. "So, I guess I underestimated the power of your connections once again, Ash. This time, however, you won't be getting out so easily. Come on out, buddies!"

Harley threw all five of his pokéballs onto the ground. Ash now stood face to face with Cacturne, Banette, Ariados, Octillery, and Wigglytuff. Ash reached for his belt before remembering his Pokémon weren't with him.

"Oh ho! What's this? It seems the punk doesn't have his Pikachu to defend himself with! All right, I'm gonna beat you all back into your cells!" Harley mocked.

May and Tracey stepped forward.

"You leave Ash alone!" May scolded.

Harley brushed her off. "So, _May,_" he said in an icy tone. "I'm not surprised. It figures you'd stand up for Ash and defend him after all the times he saved you. Today, though, he is useless. And after all the times you've shown me up, it's about time I got my revenge! Everyone, attack!"

At this point, May sent out her Blaziken and Tracey sent out Scyther to defend against the oncoming attacks. Blaziken battled Cacturne, Banette, and Ariados with her fiery moves while Scyther used his leaf blade attack to keep Octillery and Wigglytuff at bay.

While the battle was going on, Ash slipped to the sidelines and sneaked over to where Harley stood. Because he was so involved in his battle, Harley failed to take notice of Ash until it was too late.

"Think fast, Harley!" Ash shouted as he launched himself at Harley, tackling him to the ground. Quickly, Ash grabbed Harley's arms and held them against his back. The concurrent Pokémon battle took a turn for the worse (from Harley's viewpoint) as his confused Pokémon were slashed and burned into submission.

Ash dragged a kicking Harley into his cell's doorway and kicked Harley's back in such a way that Harley flew into the cell and fell flat on his face. While he was getting up, Ash swung the door shut.

"Well, Harley, looks like I'll be keeping my promise to lock you up again after all!" Ash smirked.

Harley chuckled. "Ah, but you forget that I have the combination to this cell _memorized!_"

Ash gritted his teeth. May stepped forward.

"Memorize this, Harley! Blaziken, use your fire punch attack on the cell lock!"

"Blaziken!" Blaziken's wrist engulfed her talon-like hands in flames, and she raised her fist. Harley, who was in the middle of entering the combination to unlock the door, jumped back before the attack landed. A small explosion ensued as Blaziken's fiery fist destroyed the locking unit.

The exposed circuitry shot out a few electrical sparks as the automated system failed. The lock on the cell door was now permanently active. To top that off, the door was effectively welded shut. Once again, Harley had been double locked within the cell.

As the six heroes made their way to the elevator, they couldn't help but laugh as Harley's voice shouted several profanities behind their backs.

* * *

Dawn was waiting on the first floor for her friends to arrive. Now that she had finished her task, the Rocket outfit was no longer of any use, so she discarded it. She had just gotten down here, and already her arms were starting to ache. Fortuantely, the elevator dinged, and as the door opened, May and Tracey stepped out, followed by Ash, Brock, Max, and Drew.

After everyone had been accounted for, and the guys had their respective Pokémon back on their persons, it was finally time to free Pikachu from his cage.

Ash called out Chimchar and Turtwig while Dawn summoned Piplup. Pikachu pressed himself against the opposite wall of the side Chimchar was using flamethrower on. Piplup then sprayed the red-hot metal with water gun to rapidly cool it. After a few cycles of heating and cooling, the metal's integrity had been weakened considerably. Turtwig then shot a razor leaf attack at the weakened portion of the cage, and after a loud metallic clang, Pikachu hopped out of his cell. He ran around the room a few times to stretch his legs – he'd been in that cell for over six hours.

Dawn wanted to tell everyone what she had found out, but decided it was more important to get out of here first. Once everyone stepped outside the building doors, they all breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling was cut short, however, by too-familiar voices beginning to recite an all-too-familiar motto.

"Prepare for trouble, we saw what you did!"

"Make it double, we found you before you could be hid!"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"An evil as old as the galaxy."

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Wo-buffet!"

"Mime, Mime!"

"It's Team Rocket!" Ash and his friends cried out.

James smiled. "Look, Jess! I do believe I see that the other older twerp is in their midst this time!"

"Looks like you three haven't changed a bit since last I saw you," Tracey shot back.

Jessie smirked before speaking. "Well, of course we haven't. We're Team Rocket, and we're on a mission to take back what's ours!"

Max looked curiously at the Rockets. "So, where's the other two?"

Meowth almost laughed with pleasure. "They said they's was takin' a nap, an' dey left us in charge of keeping a soiveillance on da place, and den, we sees dat twoipette stealin' from de boss's cache! So we came down here ta stop ya!"

The heroes had had just about enough of the Rockets for one day. They wanted to nip this in the bud.

May's Blaziken and Tracey's Scyther took the field against Jessie's Wobuffet and James's Carnivine (after he had pried it off his head).

Scyther used leaf blade against Wobuffet, who countered the attack. Blaziken did a bunch of punching and kicking against a defending Carnivine. However, Blaziken, like her trainer, was fed up with Rockets and their Pokémon, so she used blast burn to knock Carnivine out. She then assisted Scyther against Wobuffet, who was enduring and reflecting every attack. So well, in fact, that Scyther was put down after giving fury swipes a try, and Blaziken was surprised her own attacks were being reflected against her.

Much to everyone's surprise, Meowth threw himself into the fray. He jumped up onto Blaziken's head and launched a frenzied assault on the blaze Pokémon (while commenting on how hot it was).

Ash, who had been watching from the sidelines with everyone else, saw this sudden turning of the tide, and decided the Rockets had crossed the line for the last time today. Throwing Pikachu onto the field, the mouse ran at Meowth at great speed, knocking the scratchcat Pokémon off Blaziken's head and into the ground at his comrades' feet.

Now was the time for the decisive final blow.

"Blaziken! Overheat!" May commanded.

"Pikachu, thunder!" Ash followed up.

The combined electrical/fire attack flew at a despairing Team Rocket. Even Wobuffet was unable to withstand this kind of an attack. An explosion occurred as the fiery electrical torrent came down on them.

"How is it we succeeded earlier with Butch and Cassidy, yet failed on our own?" Jessie whined as they flew up into the sky.

"Well, I still think it's worth it to leave them behind," James commented.

"Yeah, but I still tink we made an impression on de boss! So we won, in a twisted kinda way," Meowth added.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" the three shouted as they disappeared with a flash into the deep purple sky.

* * *

Several minutes later, the town's Pokémon center's cafeteria was packed with seven hungry trainers. They had left their Pokémon with Nurse Joy. They chatted excitedly with each other about miscellaneous topics, mentally deciding to save the serious stuff for later. For now, it was time for the guys to celebrate being free men again. Everyone vowed that for all future journeys, they'd travel together. It was now too risky to be alone or in groups that don't have the full strength of all seven.

It was some time later, after dinner was eaten, teeth brushed, and rooms rented, that Tracey heard the details of the predicament. As he learned, nobody was in Kanto by choice – they'd been brought here by Teams Rocket, Aqua, Magma, and Galactic. They vowed that they would resume with their original plans as soon as this mess was cleared up.

Dawn then unveiled the criminals' intentions to the group. She described the machine she had seen, as well as what she had read in the report. This, of course, caused general panic and a feeling of despair amongst the group, but Dawn was able to assure them that the criminal masterminds would not succeed in their endeavors. She didn't know when the machine would be used, though, so she just kept her fingers crossed that Paul and Misty would get here soon. It was a good thing Tracey was the first here, and he'd already proven his mettle.

May noted to herself that she and Dawn's successful rescue had taken a little over two hours to complete, and the outcome was the best that could be hoped for. Interestingly to herself, she had felt a sort of connection to Ash during the whole thing. She smiled in particular to how their teamwork had gotten Harley sealed up in that dungeon!

The time was now five past nine, so they now decided to do whatever they wanted to. Because of the relative calmness the night always brought, Ash, May, and Max decided they'd go into the forest to train their Pokémon. Everyone else had had too much excitement for the day and went to bed.

* * *

The training in the forest was blissfully uneventful. May stood and watched as Ash tried Pikachu out against Max's Beldum. They were rivals of sorts. Where Pikachu was speedy, Beldum was steadfast. They trained in this meant-to-be harmless competition, and were about ready to call it a night when Beldum seemed to look into the treeline.

A lone Beldum came through the trees, looking dazed and distraught. As it righted itself, it took particular notice of the other Beldum in its presence. The two struck up a conversation.

The humans stood and watched. Every now and then, Max's Beldum would look their way, as if to reference them. It soon became apparent that this other Beldum had come from the same group as Max's. The group's power-hungry leader, Metang, had found it unworthy of remaining in the herd, and so it was banished. In its despair, its departure led it here to the Kanto region. It had nowhere to go, and was looking for a place to inhabit when it stumbled upon them. At the conclusion of the conversation, the second Beldum came up to Max with a look that was too familiar to Max. He accepted it into the group.

The two Beldum seemed to dance in joy, and then something incredible happened. The two rose into the air, glowing brightly, as their twin forms seemed to merge into one being.

"Metang!" the new being cried.

"Awesome, Beldum! You evolved into a Metang!" Max happily exclaimed. Ash and May were also happy for the young trainer and his Pokémon.

Shortly after this, Ash knew it was getting late, so he decided it was time for the group to head back to the Pokémon center. Max ran ahead of Ash and May.

"Hey, May?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"Thanks for saving us earlier. I'm lucky to have such a good friend as you."

"Anytime, Ash," May said, smiling.

A thought then crossed Ash's mind.

"And…um…"

"What?"

"Oh…never mind." Ash had been thinking of telling her about how he felt, but decided maybe it was too soon. He'd just broken up with Dawn, as May had with Drew. Besides, maybe Dawn was right. Maybe he had rushed things with their relationship. He didn't want to make the same mistake again. Still…

May looked slightly disappointed, but smiled when she saw Ash turn away in a poor effort to hide his blush. Of course, he was her friend, and she valued having him by her side again.

When they got back, they said their good-night's to each other and slipped into an untroubled sleep. Well, except for May and Ash, who started invading each other's dreams in a most pleasant way.

* * *

**Long chapter, I know, but there was a lot of stuff I wanted to get into this one chapter alone to do it justice. Hope you enjoyed, and the next chapter'll be up tomorrow night.**


	17. Dreaming Of You

**Chapter 17: Dreaming Of You**

James smiled as he looked up at the starry sky from the depths of the crater he and his companions made upon impact. They'd been blasted off again by the twerps, so obviously, they'd seen better days. But that was not why James was happy.

He was happy because things worked out in such a way that they were now (at least temporarily) rid of their overbearing rivals. On top of that, James finally had a chance to be alone with Jessie. For the first time in several long days, they were alone with each other and nobody else.

A wind blew over the top of the crater. James turned his head to see his sleeping companions. Meowth's fur kept him warm at night, but Jessie didn't have any such way of insulation. James cringed at the sight of Jessie shivering.

Acting on impulse, he crawled over to where she lay and laid beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, and as he did so, Jessie seemed to relax. He then got an urge to kiss her on the cheek, so he did, blushing afterwards.

"G'night, Jess."

"G'night, James…" she sleepily replied.

* * *

All was quiet inside the Viridian Pokémon center. Ash slept contentedly, glad his night was being spent here and not in the hands of the criminal masterminds.

He looked to see the time. 3:57 AM. There was still plenty of time to sleep. Yawning, Ash fell back once more into a tranquil state of sleep. He began dreaming.

_Ash was standing in a wooded area. He guessed this to be Viridian forest. He even noticed that the ground he stood upon was the same one he and his friends had been on hours earlier. Except, he was alone now, and the sun was shining brightly through the canopy. _

_Pikachu was not standing on his shoulder, but the backpack he had on felt heavier than ususal. He was about to take off the pack and look through it when he heard a scream from the nearby area._

_He ran off the path into the trees. After a few moments, he came upon a clearing in the forest. There, he saw a Rocket, a Magma, an Aqua, and a Galactic standing on all sides of a young woman. She had a black sack over her head, so Ash could not immediately identify who the victim was. Regardless, she needed his help._

_As Ash came crashing into the clearing, the four criminals stopped their harassment of their captive and turned to face the intru__der. They each took out a pokéball. These opened, and Ash now stood against four adversaries._

_Suddenly, his pack zipped open, and Pikachu came jumping out. With all the power he could muster, he unleashed a mighty thunder attack against the assailants and their masters, sending them flying into the sky and disappearing from sight._

_Now Ash walked over to the hooded figure and took off the hood. He gasped, seeing that it was May. She only smiled._

_"Thank you for saving me, Ash!" she said, and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was a savory display of affection, and Ash lived in the moment as best he could. Moments later, May broke the embrace._

_"Well…I guess we should be heading back, then," Ash said. May nodded and followed him._

_A few short steps on, he heard Max's voice calling to him. It sounded like it came from behind._

_"Ash, it's time to wake up. Ash? Ash, can you hear me?"_

_Turning around, Ash saw only May. His face became one of shock as May spoke with __Max's voice._

_"Guess I gotta do this, then…" she said, taking a glass of water that was inexplicably stored in her pack, and threw cold water on Ash's face._

Ash quickly opened his eyes and sat up, water dripping from his face. He turned to face Max, who was holding an empty drinking glass.

"Max?" he said, blinking his eyes to be sure he wasn't still dreaming.

"I FINALLY got you up! I can't believe I actually resorted to splashing cold water on your face! Well, now that you're up, we've all been waiting for you and May so we can eat breakfast!"

"Okay. I'll, uh, be there soon."

As Max left the room, Ash got out of bed, took a quick shower, and dressed. He felt a little upset at the young trainer for bringing his dream to a hasty ending. Nonetheless, he'd be seeing May in person soon enough.

The conversation over breakfast was filled with discussion. Everybody wanted to do their own thing, but with the criminal forces out and about, it would be unsafe to go without the whole group. Finally, they decided they'd do each thing for an allotted amount of time before moving on to the next activity.

* * *

As the seven wandered about the city, they found it filled with ordinary people. This gave a sense of an uneasy peace, as only the heroes knew what dangers were lurking beneath the seemingly tranquil surface. The sun was out today, and although there were a few clouds in the sky, the temperature was getting warm.

May and Drew walked brought up the rear behind everyone else. In her mind, May knew she was due to talk with Drew shortly. She meant to tell him yesterday, but the circumstances made it impossible. If anything were to happen today, she had to let him know before it did. It was a short and sweet conversation, and May hugged Drew both to show her sincerity and to indicate "no hard feelings." Ever after, they would remain close friends and nothing more.

Ash and Dawn, who led the group, also were content to remain as friends. This was easier than in the case of May and Drew, however, because they had their previous friendship to fall back on. Nonetheless, nobody bore any ill feelings towards anybody. It was a positive feeling that energized them as they marched on.

* * *

A few moments later, a joyous surprise occurred. Ash had spotted a familiar redheaded young woman heading their way. She kept her hair in a ponytail to the side of her head, and she wore a modest yellow outfit.

"Misty!" Ash shouted as he broke into a run.

"Ash! Ohmigosh, how are you?" Misty greeted her old friend.

"I'm pretty good, though we've seen better days."

"What's up now, Ashy?" Misty asked. Ash winced. "Ashy" was her favorite nickname for him. "_Girls…"_ he muttered under his breath.

Everyone else came forth to trade greetings and, in the case of Dawn and Drew, introductions.

The look on Misty's face was one of horror as she listened to the others describe the happenings of late. She could not believe what she was hearing. Although, she had to admit to herself, there was definitely wisdom in summoning her. After all, Brock had called her a few days ago saying there was trouble in Viridian city. She wanted to ask when they'd begin, and she was told they'd go just as soon as one more person arrived.

With Misty now part of the group (bringing their total strength to eight trainers), only Paul was left to be seen. Dawn had been successful at contacting him, but getting him to come at all had been a doozy. In fact, he only promised to come when Dawn, in her frustration, told him he'd get a chance to pwn serious villain butt. The group estimated he'd arrive in the next day or so.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet. Misty got a chance to catch up with her old friends and make a few new ones. Even if the local peace was tenuous, it was peace nonetheless. There was nobody unfriendly anywhere, though they were probably just biding their time and waiting for the perfect moment to strike at the unsuspecting world.

* * *

Giovanni could not recall having a worse way to start the day. He was greeted in his office shortly after arriving by Butch and Cassidy, who somehow managed to lose track of Jessie, James, and Meowth. If that wasn't bad enough, Pikachu was gone (one of the grunts found the destroyed cage in the lobby on the first floor) and his cache of stolen Pokémon was missing.

When he reviewed the security tapes to see what had happened, he saw a young female, dressed as one of his grunts, enter his office, take Pikachu off the desk and set it near the chest. Moments later, the chest was opened. The girl took out the contents of the chest and, taking Pikachu in her arm, exited out of the office. His worst fears were confirmed when a first floor recording revealed the same individual casually removing the uniform to unveil her true identity. Gasping, Giovanni realized this was one of his prisoners from the other day! In discouragement, he left before he could see how Pikachu was freed.

He took the elevator down to the basement, hoping he at least still had his captives. Of course, his luck continued to work against his desires. Shortly after stepping out into the prison hallway, he came upon the cell once inhabited by the deceitful Ash. The door's locking system was completely decommissioned, and Harley was trapped inside.

Harley looked up, his face turning crimson with embarrassment.

"M-M-Master! Uh…This is not what it seems! It was those punkwads! I was fighting them, and then the one douche tackled me and threw me in here! Then he and that damn girlfriend of his sealed me in here! Oh, woe is me!"

Giovanni slowly shook his head, then smacked his flat palm into his forehead, dragging it forcefully down his face. _"You can say that again…"_ he muttered. He took out his pager to begin the steps needed to cut Harley out and update the whole cell door mechanism. Again.

* * *

A few hours after dinner, Drew challenged Dawn to a practice contest battle in the forest before bed. They were alone – nighttime was the only time it was safe to be out and about without everyone else present. Everyone else was at the Pokémon center.

For a good while, Dawn's Ambipom fought valiantly against Drew's Masquerain. The two Pokémon worked on flashy techniques and clever maneuvers, as well as practicing varying combinations of defensive and offensive moves.

As it was getting late, they decided to call it quits with the training and head back. Drew, who felt somehow attracted to Dawn, decided he'd strike up a conversation with her.

"That was a great battle, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was. I still can't believe I'm not the only coordinator here! Now there are three of us!" Dawn excitedly replied.

"What are the contests in Sinnoh like?"

"Oh, pretty much the same as elsewhere. You know how it is – you start with an appeal, then if it goes well, it's on to the battle round."

"I figured as much. I just wondered if there were any differences between Sinnoh contests and Johto contests. Then again, why would there be?"

Dawn giggled. "You're right! But you had every right to ask. I'd have wondered that myself. So…you're from the Hoenn region, right?"

"Yep. LaRousse City is my hometown. In fact, it was through being a coordinator that I met May, who was then traveling around with Ash, Brock, and her brother, Max. Yeah, we had good times."

"You good at contests?"

"I guess I'm alright. My first contest ever, I lost to this coordinator name Solidad. That woman's tough! She even beat May in the Grand Festival!"

"Wow…sounds like you go way back."

Drew smiled. "So anyways, after competing in Hoenn and Kanto, we both decided to try our luck in Johto. Me and May weren't together at first – we travelled alone. It was after I beat her in Azalea Town that I, being the gentleman that I am, offered to accompany her, at least through Ilex forest till we got to Goldenrod City. Of course, it was after that that the trouble started. Next thing we knew, here we are in Viridian. Me and May both wish to go back and finish up there after we get this mess cleared up. Although…"

"Although…?" Dawn prodded.

Drew gulped. His eyes started becoming wet.

"Although, not as a couple. I'm assuming that, since you spent the whole day with May yesterday, you might know this. She's a nice girl, just…she has a way of pushing my buttons in ways I don't like. I mean, she did nothing but complain about conditions when the Rockets were flying us here. So, last night, I thought it would be best for the both of us if we took our separate ways. Sometimes, I even look at her and see how much she is like Ash on the inside."

Dawn knew this already, but she didn't want Drew to know that she knew. Instead, she'd try to comfort him with her own similarities.

"Drew, don't feel bad. I myself just ended a relationship I was having with Ash. It started off feeling really good. However, I found myself questioning our bond as lovers when we were first taken hostage by those fiends. He was very hostile with the guards, and while I didn't care for their presence either, I still thought his temperament was one not to underestimate. I just can't see myself with someone who has a short fuse. We've fought before, even before all this, but it just felt different this time. Sorta like I was waking up from a dream."

As Dawn was explaining this, tears started leaking out of her azure eyes.

"Hey, Dawn…" Drew said softly, placing an arm on her shoulder.

No sooner did he do this, then he felt like a fool. What if she rejected this advance? But Dawn simply took his hand in hers. And, holding each other, they walked back to the Pokémon center.


	18. Leader Of The Nine Part 1

**Chapter 18: Leader Of The Nine**** (Part 1)**

**Okay, I'm doing a double update today since I had tons of spare time. I'****ve decided to have fun with the next few**** chapter****s by making them**** a parody of a certain film**** trilogy****. If you couldn't guess from the title, I'll tell you later. Anyway, here's chapter 18!**

* * *

Cyrus had heard through the grapevine what had transpired over the past two days. He was greatly alarmed by the jailbreaks and intrusions. It was particularly disturbing to think of who had gotten wise to them. This did not bode well.

He slowly exhaled. It was time, he knew, to get the next phase – summoning the legendaries – started. The events of the past two days were a wake-up call to him, saying he'd better act now, or all would be lost. He sat upright and sent an email to all his scientists.

_From: Team Galactic Head Boss Cyrus_

_Subject: Legendary Energy_

_Text: The time has come at last. We've delayed long enough. Be sure Dialga and Palkia are properly connected to the machine before they awaken. When they do, they'll surely try using their powers to escape. I want you, my elite researchers, to make the appropriate adjustments so that their combined powers may act as a homing signal to all legendary Pokémon. It is time to get this show on the road!_

* * *

The sun awoke everyone at the Pokémon center early that morning. As they were about to begin discussing their plans for that day, the center's sliding double doors opened and a figure stood in the sunlight. As he stepped closer, his dark grey khaki pants, blue and black jacket, and long purple hair became visible.

"Paul! You're here at last!" Ash shouted, not realizing how immature he sounded right now.

Paul walked over to the group. His expression was of anything but joy. He quickly took an empty seat with the rest around the circular table in the center's lobby.

"Humph. Can't say I'm surprised you weaklings would call upon me to handle these goons."

"We're not weak! We were just caught off guard, that's all!" Ash said angrily.

Paul just slouched in his seat. "Right…and what exactly do you have in mind to deal with this situation."

Dawn spoke up. "You may remember me calling you a few days ago to…make a deal for you. You will assist us in thwarting the criminals' plans, and you will have a chance to show off your potential to the world."

Paul's face screwed into a look of confusion.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"What's wrong? Who're you?"

Dawn's face immediately went red. "Excuse me, your rudeness, but we've spoken several times before! The name's Dawn! And I'd appreciate it if you could do something about your short-term memory!"

Paul looked thoughtful, then said, "Hm…don't remember."

Dawn's eyes glowed red with rage. "YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY, DONTCHA? Listen here, you rude, selfish, mean-spirited – "

Dawn got up to physically assault Paul, but before she could, Brock stood up and, placing him arms under her armpits and bringing his hands up to her shoulders, lifter her a few inches off the ground. Dawn shouted and kicked at Paul, who paid no further attention to the commotion. May, Max, Drew, Misty, and Tracey all sweatdropped. Once she had calmed down, Brock set her down in her seat before taking a seat himself.

Everyone took turns explaining to Paul what all had happened and why they were here. Ultimately, they decided the best way of foiling the enemy's plans was to find a way of releasing Dialga and Palkia. At the conclusion, Paul looked thoughtful.

"So, let me get this straight. We're going on a suicide mission to free two legendaries from the clutches of four criminal masterminds. And how do I know that I won't get locked up like a bunch of you?"

"You don't. You're just gonna have to trust us on this, Paul," Ash said.

"Guess you're right. I mean, it must take a seriously weak person to get locked up twice!"

"_Paul…"_ Ash seethed. Although the extra person was a plus, Paul's personality left something to be desired.

And so it was decided. As soon as every trainer/coordinator had his/her Pokémon and was in the right frame of mind, they set out for the enemy's lair: the dread office building!

* * *

There were four guards standing at the doorway to the building's entrance. Specifically, there were grunts from Teams Aqua, Magma, Galactic, and Rocket. They sent out a Vaporeon, a Flareon, a Magneton, and a Hitmontop. However, they were quickly overpowered by the strength of the nine heroes, who entered the building immediately after.

Inside, they were attacked by several criminals who were in the area, but the heroes also made short work of them, though the enemy's Gyrados, Salamence, and Steelix proved worthy foes before being bested. Before more could head their way, they started heading towards the elevator. Just as they got there, the door opened, and Maxie stepped out.

"I expected you would all be here. I have a duty to ensure you go no further!" With that, Maxie tossed six pokéballs onto the floor, which opened. They were now faced by a Charizard, a Typhlosion, a Blaziken, an Infernape, a Magmortar, and a Camerupt.

Paul, who was fixing on taking on these six fire types by himself, told everyone to go on ahead without him.

"No, Paul! You can't win this alone!" Ash shouted.

"Just go, Ash! I'm stronger than you think!" Paul replied as he sent out his Electabuzz, Ursaring, Murkrow, and Gliscor. Just as the eight other heroes crammed into the elevator, they saw Paul's newest Pokémon (Gliscor) unleash a small earthquake attack.

* * *

The elevator strained under the weight of all eight passengers, becoming disabled on the second floor. They sighed, realizing they'd have to climb to the ninth floor on their own.

As expected, they were ambushed by yet more grunts. Although not as numerous as what they'd faced in the lobby, their Pokémon were considerably more powerful. More discouraging yet, every time one wave was defeated, another seemed to advance out of nowhere.

In frustration, Ash said, "I think we should just get going and let any others chase us to whatever end we get!"

"But, Ash, they'll try to stop us before we get to the ninth floor! I'll tell you what: You, May, Max, and Drew should continue on. Me and Tracey will stay here and make sure no one follows you," Misty declared. Ash nodded, deciding she was right, and took the three others to the stairway.

* * *

From the third floor to the fourth floor, they battled their way around, their Pokémon seeming to be energized with each victory. However, the Aquas on this floor unleashed wave after wave of water and poison-type Pokémon. Since Drew's Roselia and Max's Metang had a type advantage here, they offered to stay here to fight for the same reason as Misty and Tracey. Ash wished them luck, and May hugged them both before joining Ash in the stairway.

* * *

Oddly enough, the rest of the way to the ninth floor seemed tranquil, with only a few adversaries to fight against. Eventually, Ash and May were able to exit the stairwell and enter the ninth floor. It didn't take them long to find the lab. What they saw transfixed them.

Cyrus was standing by a table, looking on as his Team Galactic grunts pressed buttons, pulled switches, and turned knobs on several different control panels. In the machine, Dialga and Palkia were alert, and seemed to be trying their hardest to escape the machines, which would punish every such attempt with a shock that stole some of their energy with every step outside of a particular electrode under their feet. This caused them to step back in pain, but they continued their escape attempts nonetheless.

Suddenly, what appeared to be a gauge on the machine became filled. Just as quickly, a multicolored energy field enveloped the machine, appearing the head up through the ceiling. Ash and May guessed that the beam was then launched from an antenna on the rooftop, where it would supposedly attract numerous legendary Pokémon. They had no intention of letting it get that far, however.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" Ash shouted to the ignorant Galactics. The grunts paid Ash no heed, merely glancing at him before turning back to their work. They were so close at this point, their presence didn't matter now. Cyrus, however, turned to face the newcomers.

"You two…well, I must say I'm impressed the two of you actually managed to make it this far. But alas, you're too late! The homing energies of Dialaga and Palkia have already been tapped into! What could you possibly do to stop us now?" Cyrus chuckled.

Ash didn't reply, instead having Pikachu jump to the floor.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt that gauge at the top of the machine!"

"Pika-CHUU!" There was a brilliant flash as the electrical attack landed on the machine's gauge, which exploded after a few minutes. Unable to see the power levels of Dialga and Palkia, the Galactics frantically worked the hardware in front of them, only to experience catastrophic results.

The entire machine shot out electrical sparks. Dialga and Palkia gave one more attempt to free themselves. As they ripped out cords, smoke started spewing from the machine's bowels. After a loud whirring sound, the machine short-circuited and died out. Meanwhile, the two legendaries crashed through the sealed elevator doors, then flew up and out of the building through the elevator shaft. Where they went was anyone's guess.

The dismayed Galactics began heading towards the stairway, running out of sight. Shortly after they passed, Ash and May began to chase them. When they came in sight of the stairwell, they saw Maxie running upwards, followed a few steps behind by Paul.

"Come back here, you coward! I'm not done with you yet!" Paul shouted as he raced up the stairs chasing Maxie.

"Alakazam, hypnosis!" Cyrus's voice called behind them. Ash and May turned around to see that Cyrus had summoned an Alakazam, whose eyes now glowed an eerie blue color. Before they could react, the two of them (and Pikachu) became rigid and stiff. Their eyes became glazed over in appearance. They were now in a zombie-like existence, where they were alive, but their consciousness was not their own.

* * *

While under the state of hypnosis, Cyrus led the two up the stairs with him to the rooftop, where a helicopter was waiting. Paul lay unconscious on the ground. He'd beaten Maxie in the lobby before chasing him here, only to be overwhelmed by Giovanni and Archie.

Cyrus pushed the two mindless youths in before he climbed into the chopper. Maxie hopped on board just as the helicopter began its ascent into the air.

Nothing needed explaining. Giovanni and Archie had been on the tenth floor when the assault began. When they became aware of Ash's presence, they sent their men to hold them off while they prepared for the worst. Thank goodness they'd prepared for the worst! And that didn't just include a getaway vehicle! No, they'd thought of this back in the beginning. Should the worst happen here, they'd relocate to a more remote area and start again. They didn't know what to do with the young individuals who were unconscious on the floor. Cyrus had entranced them, and though they didn't know why he was keeping them, they knew their peer had something specific in mind.

Of course, that was exactly what Cyrus was planning. He wasn't necessarily using them as bait. No, they'd serve a greater purpose – they would be infused with the spirits of the legendaries, and become the vessels of unspeakable power!


	19. Leader Of The Nine Part 2

**Chapter 19: Leader Of The Nine (Part 2)**

Not long after the helicopter departed, Brock, Tracey, Misty, Max, Drew, and Dawn climbed to the rooftop, only to see the helicopter shrink in the sky as it flew off to the south. They had reason to believe it was the crime bosses, and very likely, they had Ash and May in their clutches.

Brock ran over to Paul's unconscious form. Slowly, the Sinnoh trainer began coming around as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Augh, my aching…should've known he'd try a trick like that…"

"What happened?" Brock asked.

"Well, if you must know, things weren't going too well for that Magma boss. His team had the numbers, but I had the strength. I fainted three of his fire types before he recalled them and began running like the coward he is. I chased him up the tower to the roof. I saw Ash and that brunette chick just staring at us, while that Cyrus guy called out his Alakazam. Anyway, the pursuit led me up here, where Giovanni and Archie were already waiting. Before I could reach for any of my pokéballs, a gun in the side of their chopper fired some kind of energy ball at me. The last thing I remember before blacking out was collapsing to the ground as Cyrus brought Ash and that brunette up here. Something didn't look right about those two."

"The 'brunette' you speak of is my sister, May," Max corrected Paul.

Paul huffed. "Whatever. I didn't ask you."

"Just trying to get your facts straight," Max pouted.

"Where've they gone?" Misty asked.

Paul shot her an incredulous look. "How the heck should I know? I was unconscious until a minute ago!"

"Don't need to be rude about it…" Misty said, looking very offended at Paul's bad temperament.

Clearly, nobody knew where Ash and May were taken off to, though there was no question that wherever they were, so too were the syndicate heads. Their heads hung low in sadness, the seven of them climbed down the building and out into the streets. Although they'd been successful at their initial endeavor, they'd lost their best friends and had no way of finding them.

"What do we do now?" asked Tracey.

"We set out and find them. I know where they are," said a deep, masculine voice. They turned and saw one large Pokémon floating in the air above them. The creature was in front of an army of others.

"_Mewtwo!"_ everybody gasped.

* * *

Ash slowly opened his eyes and shook his head. He didn't know where he was, and only now noticed his arms and legs were chained to the wall in a dark room. The last thing he remembered were Alakazam's glowing eyes. Everything else in his memory was hazy at best.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see a small window in the wall to his right. The wall on the opposite side of the room had a heavy duty door in it. In the center of the room, there was a large, round table with a lighting fixture above it (which was off for the time being). Everything became easier to identify as his vision became clear. He looked to his left. There, he saw May, who was in a similar predicament to him.

"May!" Ash shouted.

She was unresponsive at first, although Ash wanted to see if he could awaken her from her stupor.

"May!" Ash called again.

Slowly, her figure began moving as she regained consciousness. Although she could not see anything immediately, she recognized Ash's voice.

"Ash! Is that you?"

"Yeah. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. How about yourself?"

"Never been better. Can't believe they got me again though! This is the third time I've been held by those goons! It's getting annoying!"

"It's only my second time, and even I'm upset! Where are we, anyway?"

"I dunno. I remember being in that building with you and Cyrus, then everything got real hazy, and after that, I woke up here."

"Pika pi, Pika Pika!" Pikachu's voice echoed in the room. May, whose own eyes were now accustomed to the light conditions, saw Pikachu chained to the wall beside Ash, who now took notice of the small Pokémon on his right, resting adjacent to Ash's body.

"Don't worry, Pikachu, I think we'll be fine…"

May turned to face Ash. "Don't you wonder what happened to everyone else?"

Ash looked at May and smiled confidently. "I'm sure they're just fine. They're all skilled with their Pokémon. I just hope they can figure out where we are, and soon!"

"Oh, I hope so, Ash. But how can they possibly find us, when we don't even know where _we_ are?"

* * *

"What brings you here, Mewtwo?" Brock asked the psychic-type that he had not seen in ages.

"I was traveling around the world, seeking my destiny in this world, when a beam of great power emanated from this area. Now that I'm here, I can see that my creator has tried to lure me back here," Mewtwo said telepathically. Misty and Brock still found this form of communication unnerving. Nonetheless, Mewtwo made it a point of show off all possessed prowess.

Misty looked around quickly, then faced Mewtwo and asked, "Where's –"

"Mew? I believe she was off on a journey of her own for a while. It is likely she also saw the beam, in which case she should be here shortly." **(Author's Note: I know legendaries are genderless, but in this work, I decided Mew would be female and Mewtwo would be male, given their voices and personalities)**

Paul stepped forward. "Are you _really_ as powerful as they say you are?"

Mewtwo closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Foolish human. What would possess you to even ask such a question? Let's just say I can hold my own in many competitions."

"I'm just asking, cause I ain't taking directions from a weakling."

Mewtwo, while maintaining his meditative pose, opened his glowing eyes. Paul, becoming surrounded by an aura of the same color as Mewtwo's eyes, was lifted a few feet into the air and was sent crashing into the ground. This occurred until after the tenth time Paul hit the ground. Mewtwo then ceased the attack, believing the fool had learned his lesson.

Paul looked very much enraged as he picked himself off the ground, but decided not to when he saw everybody sweatdrop at his recklessness.

Brock decided to finally stop messing around. He now took the powerful Pokémon's attention.

"Excuse me, but didn't you say you knew where Ash and May were headed?"

Once again, Mewtwo closed his eyes, keeping his arms crossed.

"Yes, indeed I did. They were taken hostage by my creator and his cronies, and flew south to the Sevii Islands. If you will come with me, I can teleport you all there. I have a score to settle again, anyways."

Everyone placed a hand on Mewtwo as he landed softly on the ground. Soon, he glowed a bright white light, and soon they were all heading through a tunnel of time and space, coming out above the Sevii Islands. They then made their descent to the ground.

* * *

Ash and May had given up on trying to figure out where they were. In fact, they'd seemed to be forgotten in that dark room. The only light source was the window, and the afternoon sun was not shining in it.

Their skin was charred. This was due to Ash's earlier attempts at escape by having Pikachu try to break the metal by using thunder. Somehow, the chains were linked by the electrical attack, so not only did the chains remain, but Ash and May received a nasty shock.

May started sobbing. In her mind, she wondered if she'd ever see anyone she knew (besides Ash) ever again. Ash, who saw this, felt conflicted. He wanted to comfort her by telling her his true feelings, but decided that now was not at all a good time to do so. He sighed and hung his head in defeat. Pikachu did the same.

Without warning, the door to the room opened, and Harley stepped in.

"Why, hello, you two!"

"Harley!" Ash and May shouted in unison. They became infuriated at their guest's appearance into their presence.

"Listen, you two…I've come to realize the error of my ways. I'm here to make amends by helping you escape from this terrible place!" Harley said.

"How do we know you're not lying through your teeth?!" Ash shouted.

"Yeah, how can we believe you?" May joined in.

"Pikachu, Pika pi!"

Harley sighed. "I'm really sorry we got off to a bad start! But the reason you must believe me is because Giovanni…is planning to destroy the world!"

This caused everyone's eyes to become dilated in diameter.

"D-Destroy…the w-world?" May asked.

"Pika?"

"Yes! I have a plan, but you must follow me and do exactly as I tell you! Hurry, I have the keys to your locks and to our enemies' helicopter! We'll escape that way!"

"There's no promise you can make that I can trust, Harley. But I see no other choice, so we'll be going with you." May stated.

Ash looked hesitant as Harley freed him. "How do we know you won't try to deceive us or something?"

"Ash, as someone who acknowledges you as superior, I give you my wholehearted word that I will not harm you." Harley said. His slight smile made Ash feel more than a bit uneasy.

Harley freed Pikachu and May, then ushered them out of the room ahead of him. He then smiled a wicked smile.

_Oh yes. I will not harm you. I will KILL you both!_

* * *

Shortly after arriving here, the heroes were assaulted by a small detachment of Team Rocket grunts. Mewtwo was the strongest, simply because everyone else's Pokémon were weary from the battles they'd fought earlier, with no visit to the Pokémon center prior to their departure.

As they explored the island they were on (which was the largest of the seven islands), an intimidating fortress became visible in the distance. They quickly moved through the tropical breeze and hot, humid climate to where it was.

The Aqua and Galactic grunts who were guarding the main entrance to the fortress looked displeased at the arrival of the intruders. One of the Galactics smiled as he pressed a button on his wrist control panel.

Two of the panels in the metallic fortress's side slid open, and two energy cannons unleashed their payload on Mewtwo, trapping him within a energy-absorbing field. His attempts to escape proved futile. Clearly, this was the same kind of technology Giovanni had employed the last time Mewtwo dealt with Team Rocket. Ash had helped him out then, his Pikachu assisting his own to destroy one generator, which led to the destruction of the other, releasing him from the shield.

Brock and Misty had also seen this perverse technology before, and this time, they knew they had to destroy at least one generator to free Mewtwo, who now cried out in agony.

Instructing everyone else, Brock's Sudowoodo and Misty's Starmie led an attack on one generator, followed by another. Three of their friends also concentrated attacks on the device, while the rest engaged the guards in combat.

The generator seemed to react to the attack, but it was insufficient to disable the mechanism. All of the heroes would have to concentrate on that one generator to destroy it.

Things went smoothly, however, and soon, the guards were forced to retreat into their domain, leaving their victorious foes to attack the generator. As several beams, punches, and miscellaneous other attacks landed with full power, the generator gave out and exploded.

Mewtwo, now free from his torture, fell to the ground. He had just enough strength to get up. Meanwhile, the twin generator exploded, unable to meet the energy requirement needed to contain Mewtwo.

* * *

Now that that problem was solved, everybody decided to head on in. As they did, however, even more guards came out, sending their armies before them. The heroes were outnumbered and outgunned. They were finished for certain now.

Suddenly, a blue ball of energy came crashing down on the opposing army, knocking out everyone it hit with a sickening force. A few minutes later, a tiny pink figure appeared in the sky, heading down towards them.

"Mew!"

Mew, turning to face Mewtwo, glowed a white energy that passed in the form of a ray to everyone's Pokémon. This seemed to have a revitalizing effect, for which the trainers were very grateful. They all moved inside, except for Paul, who glared at the newcomer.

"So, Mew…what took you so long to get here, huh, _shrimp_?"

Mewtwo sighed before punishing Paul the same way he did back in Viridian. He then entered the building, followed by Mew, who rolled her eyes at the trainer's arrogance.


	20. Leader Of The Nine Part 3

**Chapter 20: Leader Of The Nine (Part 3)**

Four figures ran through the twisting hallways and long corridors to an unknown exit. The fortress's interior was like a maze, and only those who knew it well could find their way out without pausing to see if they were backtracking.

As they ran along, Harley was leading the other three. Behind him was Pikachu, chasing after him on all fours, with Ash and May bringing up the rear. The latter two ran side by side, though neither of them noticed (nor cared at the moment). So far, Harley seemed to know which way he was going. Ash wanted nothing more at this moment to get out of here, wherever "here" was.

Presently, they stopped at a point where the hall they'd been running in branched off in three different directions. A checkpoint office, which was unmanned at the moment, was located just near them. Harley, unfamiliar with this area, decided to see if there was a map in the vicinity.

"I'm afraid…I don't know which way to go from here." Harley said plainly. This caused Ash and May to collapse to the ground anime-style **(you know, where someone falls suddenly to the ground when someone else makes a really unexpected statement or action)**.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" May asked.

"I just need to check for a map of the complex or something. I'll only be a minute…"

As Harley stepped into the office and began doing stuff on the computer in there, Ash turned to May.

"I don't trust him, May. I think he might be trying to get us lost or something."

"Why do you think that, Ash?"

"Well, to begin with, I don't see why we're running when there's nobody in sight. In addition to that, I find it odd how he leads us all this way knowingly, then suddenly admits to having no idea where to go."

"It's fine, though, Ash! Everybody gets lost sometimes, and maybe we're just rushing the pace so that nobody does find us. This place is huge, and Harley's our best bet of getting out of this place in one piece!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Don't you think his sudden change of heart is odd? I swear, it's like he's got something in mind for us. Maybe we should just leave him here and find our own way out. Better than him putting us in harm's way."

May started becoming irritated. Her eyebrows lowered into a frown.

"Ash, I really think that Harley is sincere about getting us out! He promised to bring us to no harm, and he looks like he knows what he is doing!"

Ash's face started turning red. Why was May being so naïve?

"Looks can be deceiving, May! C'mon, let's get out of here before he tries anything funny!"

"No, Ash! I'm not going without him!"

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you! This way!" Ash shouted, motioning to the hallway to their left.

"What if that's the wrong way? We'll be in trouble! And it would be all your fault!"

"How do we know Harley wasn't going to take us that way, anyway?"

"We don't. We're just going to have to trust in his judgment."

"Tough. I think he's gotten us lost, so I'm going to get us out of here! Now come with me!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes, you will! Come on!"

May crossed her arms and glared at Ash's red face. "No, I won't! I'm going with Harley, and that's final!"

Pikachu, who could stand the back-and-forth argument no longer, stepped in.

"Pika! Pikachu, pika pika, pika cha!"

Unfortuantely, Brock's method of conflict intervention did not work for the mouse Pokémon, as the two continued their fight.

"Why won't you listen to me? I'm trying to say –"

"I know what you're going to say! You're going to be all '_We must go this way and have no clue what awaits us'_!" May violently said, doing a horrid impression of Ash.

"Oh, I sound NOTHING like that!"

Pikachu was mad at the two. They were making so much noise that they'd be discovered shortly. In an act of desperation, he unleashed a mighty thunderbolt attack on the two warring trainers, who shouted in agony. Unfortunately, this bid to end the fight also ended in failure.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Pikachu?!" Ash said angrily, turning to face the small yellow mouse.

"You leave Pikachu out of this! He just tried to shock some sense into us, and by us, I mean YOU!"

"Then why'd YOU also get a zap?!"

May hesitated a moment before countering in a calm, yet irritated voice. "I think…you should just leave us, Ash."

"Fine! I'm taking Pikachu with me."

Ash scooped up Pikachu, placed him on his shoulder, and began running down the hallway to the right.

"I hope you get caught!" May shouted at the retreating duo.

"And I to you, too!" Ash shouted back, before resuming his pace.

May was still fuming when Harley finally stepped out of the office.

"Hey, I found out where the exit is, and then I heard some shouting, so…wait…where'd the other two go?"

May, still frowning and keeping her arms crossed, closed her eyes before responding.

"Ash decided he was better off without us, so he took off in a hurry."

"Oh…uh, well, let's get going! We need to continue straight ahead."

May followed Harley across the intersecting hall and down yet another corridor. He smiled.

_Perfect. I can take them out one by one. First, I'll get rid of May, my rival that I HATE SO MUCH! And after she's dead, I'll hunt down Ash and that filthy rat of his!_

* * *

A few minutes into the villains' hideout, the heroes were lost. Mew and Mewtwo, who were leading the way, stopped at each intersection, carefully thinking about what lay ahead before continuing along the path.

Suddenly, Mewtwo stopped and closed his eyes.

"What's wrong, Mewtwo?" Misty asked.

Mewtwo paused before answering her. Then, without opening his eyes, he replied, "There is a disturbance at work here. I sense two people in conflict. I feel their energies flowing freely. They are…this way."

Mewtwo opened his eyes and pointed a tri-digit hand in the direction from which he felt the impulses (which was the path straight ahead).

Everyone knew that meant Ash and May, though the exact definition of "in conflict" was obscure. Everyone assumed this to mean that the two were indeed in the building, and were likely fighting guards.

It seemed somewhat odd that there were no guards in the corridors, though it was probably because of Mew and Mewtwo's psychic energies. Regardless, everyone went ahead, hoping to find their friends before any trouble happened.

* * *

At the very center of the gargantuan facility, the energy laboratory sat, its roof made of glass. This room was set up in much the same way as its sister lab back in Viridian City. However, the machine in the center of the room was larger and more powerful. This pricey investment would now weigh in its weight in gold.

Cyrus held two black pokéballs by the red chain that attached them. On the flight to the Sevii isles, he'd been in luck, spotting Dialga and Palkia as they soared through the air. Because they were still bound to the red chain's energies, reclaiming them was a piece of cake. The hard part would be setting them up in the machine again.

The room was filled with guards from all four syndicates, though the bottom floor consisted only of Galactic researchers. The rest stood up on the observation deck, along with Archie, Maxie, and Giovanni. The time had come to start the process over again.

Two guards, a Magma grunt and an Aqua grunt, held rifles that were loaded with plenty of tranquilizer darts. Cyrus carefully placed each ball in its place, releasing the Pokémon inside as a result. As expected, the legendaries were uncooperative, but before they could make any serious escape attempts, several tranquilizer darts were shot into their hides. The dosage in the darts was small enough to make their sleep last only a few minutes, then they'd be powering the machine again.

* * *

Ash slowly wandered the hallways, seeking out an exit. He was lost, though it took him a while before he was calm enough to realize this. His heart felt heavy, now that he was no longer blinded by his rage. He stopped and sighed, then turned to Pikachu.

"Hey, Pikachu, I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. I just lost my cool and all self-control went with it. I still can't believe May could be so naïve."

"Pikachu, pika pika," Pikachu said in a reassuring voice.

"Thanks for forgiving me, old pal. I didn't mean to get short with May either. She just doesn't see what I see. In fact…" Ash turned around to look the way he came. He was worried about her. More importantly, he wanted to find her and apologize to her, too.

"Where could they have gone, I wonder?"

Pikachu hopped off his shoulder, ran a few steps ahead, and sniffed at the air.

"Pika! Pikachu!" he shouted, pointing at the hallway to the right.

"Wow, Pikachu! They're that way? C'mon, I've gotta find May before something terrible happens!"

Together, the two ran down the hallway, hoping they'd run into May before long.

* * *

Harley stopped at a doorway a few minutes after getting the directions here. Inside, Giovanni was in the lab with the other syndicate heads, preparing the doomsday device again.

He decided he'd guide May in there to give to his master. Once he got through with her, that's when Harley would have his way with her.

"Are we lost again?" May asked.

Harley chuckled nervously. "No, of course not! In fact, the way we go now is right through this doorway! After you," he said, opening the doorway. After May stepped in, he released his Ariados.

"I want you to keep an eye on this area. Spin webs around all the hallways. Also, if you see Ash and that rodent of his, I want you to play this," he whispered, handing the Pokémon a portable media player that he'd created back at the checkpoint. Once Ariados was gone, Harley followed May through the door.

No sooner did May step in than she wished she hadn't. As Harley followed her, he closed and locked the door behind them. They were now standing on the laboratory's observation deck, with the machine below about to be activated.

"Oh no! Harley, we took a wrong turn, and –"

Giovanni, who was seated nearby, turned and faced them.

"Ah, Harley…I was wondering when you'd show up. And what do we have here?"

May was very frightened as Giovanni eyed her. She thought to herself, _Ash was right! Harley was trying to betray us! Why didn't I listen to him?_

"Yes…Cyrus was wanting this girl for something. Where is the other, though?"

"I…I don't know…he ran off somewhere…"

Giovanni frowned briefly, but then relaxed. "No matter. I'm quite sure the little firebrand will try to find his way here. In the meantime, we must secure what we have right now. Guards!" he said, snapping his fingers.

A pair of Rockets appeared and quickly took May from Harley, and soon had her feet bound with a steel cable. They then carried her down to the machine, to hook her up to her corresponding place. Now there was only one slot left. The slot for the other trainer capable of destruction. The slot…for Ash.

* * *

Ash was running along the corridor. He noticed, too late, that there was webbing everywhere. He didn't know what was happening, and neither did Pikachu, who was also caught in the sticky web.

An Ariados came into view then. Taking a media player from around its head, it used one of its legs to push the play button. Harley's voice was heard. The recording was meant for Ash, as the message dictated.

_Naughty little fly,_

_Why does he cry?_

_Caught in a web,_

_Soon you'll be beaten! (Evil laughter)_

_So, Ash, you've made it this far. I knew you'd leave us when I heard you arguing with that brunette _bitch (Ash winced at this comment, particularly at Harley's emphasis on the word)_. I know what you're thinking. Go ahead. Try to find us. It'll be futile in the end, though. The master needs you one last time, so do come quickly! But first, a little test. If you're hearing this, you are probably unable to defend yourself! (More evil laughter) Ariados, attack!_

Ariados threw the hardware into the web it was standing on, then leapt onto Ash and Pikachu's web. It withdrew its head, opening its venomous pincers wide apart. Ash had an idea, and he ordered Pikachu to zap the netting before the strike landed.

"Pika-CHUU!"

Pikachu was the only being who wasn't zapped by the electrical attack. Ash did get electrocuted, but it was worth the price to pay. Ariados collapsed on the other side of the net, but recovered quickly.

Ash managed to pull himself off the web. He reached for his belt, and felt relieved his Pokémon were with him this time. He grabbed Chimchar's pokéball and sent the Sinnoh fire starter Pokémon out.

"Chimchar, use fire spin on the webs and aim for Ariados!"

Chimchar complied. The jet of flames erupted from his mouth, shot through the webbing that Pikachu was on (freeing him but charring him as well), and landed a strike on Ariados, who fainted when the attack ceased.

Ash ran over to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, are you okay?"

"Pika, pika!"

"Great! Sorry to do that, but I guess we gotta make sacrifices sometimes to get what we want."

Ash thanked Chimchar before recalling the flaming chimp. He proceeded onwards, stopping periodically to let Pikachu get a scent to follow. It wasn't long before they found a heavy steel door. Ash started searching for a panel, but the door suddenly opened. Nobody came out, however, so Ash and Pikachu leapt in.

There were, however, two large, powerfully built guards standing beside the doorway. As Ash entered, they immediately grabbed him.

"Been waitin' for ya, kid!"

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Ash was secured into his own slot on the monstrous machine. He was placed at such an angle that he could not see May, nor could she see him. Pikachu was hooked up to the machine in much the same was as Dialga and Palkia. Like the resisting legendaries, every time Pikachu used an electrical attack, it would power the machine.

Cyrus smiled. The time had come at last. He would now begin the creation of the world's most powerful vessels of destruction, in two mere trainers!

"Commence activation of summon beam!" he ordered. The engineers began working frantically.

There were two control panels. Each panels was fitted with a stone for the summoning of two particular legendaries. One panel held the blue orb, the other, the red orb. These panels would channel commands and energies to the machine, which now sent out a large, multicolored ray into the sky above.

After a few minutes, the effect was noted. The clear blue sky became cloudy. Outside, the wind howled. Small seismic tremors became gradually more noticeable.

The four syndicate heads knew many legendaries were outside the building now. There was Moltres, Zapados, Articuno, Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Ho-oh, Lugia, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Latias, Latios, Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Jirachi, Arceus, Manaphy, Heatran, Regigigas, Giratina, Cresselia, Darkrai, and Shaymin outside the building. Amongst all those, Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie, who had been left behind in Viridian, were there.

The machine worked beautifully. Even the Galactic engineers were amazed that such a device wielded such power to mentally disable legendaries and bring them all here in a hurry. Truly, the fate of the world was now in their hands. Or rather, in the hands of the two young trainers attached to the machine's side.

Cyrus took a moment to survey the sky and surrounding landscape. He accounted for many of them, with the disturbing exception of Mew and Mewtwo, who were oddly absent from the powerful horde of legendaries.

* * *

"How much further?" Brock asked to no particular one of the legendary Pokémon leading them.

"Not far, human," Mewtwo said. "In fact…"

Mewtwo stopped speaking suddenly, as he took on his constant meditative pose. Even Mew seemed to be acting oddly, flying slowly in different directions and mewing a lot.

After a time, Mewtwo opened his eyes and spoke.

"It has happened. The legendaries of the Pokémon world have been assembled outside. I fear that if we do not hurry, the consequences will be dire. This way, posthaste!"

The legendaries led the seven humans down one last hallway to a large door. After everyone tried and failed to open it, Mewtwo took his turn at the door. Tapping into his powerful psychic energies, he busted the doorway open.

* * *

Giovanni was impatient for the final step to commence. Getting up, he walked up to the railing and called down to Cyrus.

"What's taking so long? Aren't all the legends here yet?"

Cyrus was hesitant before speaking. "All except Mew and Mewtwo, sir. If they're not here in a matter of seconds, we'll have no choice but to begin the finishing processes."

"Dammit," Giovanni cursed to himself. He faced Cyrus again.

"Never mind. Just go ahead and get started, and I'm sure that –"

A loud clanging of metal sounded as one of the nearby doorways busted open. Two Pokémon led seven trainers onto the observation deck. Giovanni gasped upon seeing the leader.

"_Mewtwo!_"

"Hello again, Giovanni. It's been a while." Mewtwo spoke with a tone of aggression.

* * *

Suddenly, Giovanni's surprised expression changed into humor as he started laughing.

"So the heroes arrive at last, as do Mew and Mewtwo! But you're too late! Cyrus, begin the final blow!" Giovanni shouted down to Cyrus, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Commence power transfer rays!"

The engineers pressed more buttons, pulled more switches, and turned more knobs. The machine gave an unearthly groan as a pale yellow beam emitted into the sky, but visibly formed a dome of energy in which the facility and all nearby legendaries were engulfed.

Every legendary outside the building, as well as Mew and Mewtwo inside, started writhing in agony as their powerful essences were slowly sucked from their bodies. Appearing as green energy rays, they traveled from the Pokémon to the top of the dome, then down the beam, through the glass ceiling, and into the bodies of Ash and May.

Both Ash and May screamed in pain as green electricity zapped them with its power. Ash thought it felt like ten times the power of Pikachu's thunder attack. He felt revitalized, but at the same time, he felt like his mind and body were becoming two separate things. In a few moments, the shockwaves stopped altogether.

Mewtwo struggled as he regained his footing. Outside, only a few Pokémon were still conscious – the energy drain had sucked a great deal of power from them, and quite a few had fainted.

Ash and May easily freed themselves from the machine. They were no longer themselves. Instead, they were everything that immense power can do to a person – they had been overpowered and served no master but themselves. Their eyes glowed every color of the rainbow, replacing their pupils, irises, and all other recognizable parts of the eye. If they spoke, their voices would be unnaturally deep **(Author's note: I don't know what that would sound like for May, but for Ash, I would imagine him having the same voice he did when he got possessed in AG177 (Titled "Battling the Enemy Within"), where he was accidentally possessed by the spirit of the king of the Pokélantis Empire)**

However, the two kept their mentalities. Essentially, they were themselves mentally, but their bodies were free from any conscious neurological control. In short, themselves mentally, somebody else physically.

The four syndicate heads marveled at the spectacle of transferring power from over a dozen legendary Pokémon to two small humans. Before them stood the two beings that could destroy the world. The question now was how to bend them to their will. And they had just the answer.

They stood by Mewtwo, who stood with assistance from Brock and Misty. The others tended to Mew, who was barely meeting the definition of being conscious.

"What…do you…want?" Mewtwo managed to say.

Giovanni smiled. "I'm bringing you back into the fold. Given that you are now weakened, I don't think you'll be able to just defeat me and flee like you've done in the past. You and your friend, Mew, are going to be rendering to us an invaluable service. I need the two of you to control those two individuals with whatever power you've got left."

* * *

**Sorry, it's getting late (currently 11:35 PM), so I'm afraid I'm going to implement another cliffhanger here for tonight. Don't worry, I'll post the resolution tomorrow night, same as I've done regularly for over two weeks now. In it, I will also tell what film trilogy I've parodied. Stick around, I'm just as excited for chapter 21 as you! Good night!**


	21. Leader Of The Nine Part 4

**Chapter 21: Leader Of The Nine (Part 4)**

**Before we begin, let me apologize again for last night's cliffhanger. I'm hoping to wrap this sequence of events in this chapter. Anyway, I'll explain some stuff later. For now, we begin where chapter 20 abruptly ended…**

* * *

Mewtwo turned his head and faced the powerhouses formerly known as Ash and May. In all honesty, Mewtwo was not surprised at Cyrus's choice as to why those two in particular.

Fifteen year-old Ash Ketchum was an aspiring Pokémon Master in the making. Although he still showed a spark of immaturity from time to time, he had come a long way since starting out with Pikachu. His cunning in battle was unmatched, and he almost always prevailed over any foe that challenged him. On top of that, he had the ability to lead others and inspire everyone to some extent. No wonder he was a powerhouse now, though he was a terrifying sight to behold at the moment.

Beside him stood thirteen year-old May Maple. Mewtwo was unsure why exactly she was a vessel of destruction. It may have been because of her ambitions of becoming the world's greatest Pokémon coordinator. It might also have been caused by a bond she shared with Ash, a bond that was rooted very deeply, or so Mewtwo interpreted. Overall, May didn't seem to be a whole lot different from Ash.

Looking at Giovanni and his ilk, Mewtwo wondered why they themselves weren't hooked up to the machine. He supposed it was simply because they'd possibly forseen the consequences in the event the power transfer failed for some reason, and decided not to risk themselves to death or drastic changes.

Mewtwo felt somehow compelled to obey Giovanni's request, but how he would manipulate the superpowered humans would be his own design. He had left Giovanni in the first place to escape torment and burning curiosity. It was because of Giovanni that Mewtwo once thought all humans were cruel beings who enslaved Pokémon. After Ash sacrificed himself to stop his fight with Mew, he saw things in a different light. Nonetheless, Giovanni remained his sworn enemy, and Mewtwo wasn't about to indulge him.

As Mewtwo approached the railing of the observation deck, he wondered if he had enough power left to control the humans, and if so, for how long. Probably not long enough, given his weakened condition. He'd need Mew's help with such an endeavor, and she was hanging on to her senses by a thread. Regardless, he lifted an arm and began to channel what psychic energies remained in his body towards the powerhouses on the floor below.

At this moment, Ash and May seemed to snap out of their trance. May turned on the horrified Galactic engineers and began assaulting them, both with her Pokémon, and with her newly attained strength. Meanwhile, Ash turned to look up at Mewtwo. He extended his arms out in front of him to their full length and unleashed a powerful beam.

Mewtwo realized that all he had done was activated the trainers' destructive drives, rather than taking psychic control of them. He was much too late to dodge Ash's attack, and he was knocked unconscious as he slammed into the wall behind him. He hit the ground.

Brock, Misty, Drew, Dawn, Tracey, Max, and Paul looked at the scene with horrified looks on their faces. Things were grim. There appeared no way out of this predicament.

* * *

An unexpected thing happened then. The glass ceiling shattered, and smoke came spewing down with the broken glass. As it hovered in the air, familiar voices shouted for all to hear.

"Prepare for trouble and –"

"Hey, I thought _we_ were gonna recite the motto!"

"You recited it last time! It's our turn!"

"Both of you, stop it! Let's just skip to the introductions."

From under the smoke cloud, five ropes fell to the floor. A few minutes later, they slid down, shouting their names as they went.

"Butch!"

"Cassidy!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"And Meowth are da names!"

"Wobuffet!"

"Mime! Mime!"

Now that they were here, they noticed that they did not stand alone on the floor. Ash and May, who took notice of the new arrivals, began to advance on them like zombies. The five Rockets held each other in fear of the "twerps". There was something very unnatural about them. Their eyes didn't look right at all, and they seemed like they were mentally absent, yet willful about their intentions to harm them.

Drew had an idea. Picking up the unconscious Mew, he carried her over to where Mewtwo lay and set her down beside him. He then called out his Roselia, and had him use aromatherapy on the two fainted psychic types. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Drew was disappointed. Roselia continued to send out the spores, however, and as he did so, the wind blew in from the broken ceiling, carrying some of the spores outside.

To some extent, all the legendaries benefited from this, with Mew and Mewtwo receiving the most from it. As they awoke, they remembered what had happened prior to their knock-outs.

* * *

Rising into the air, Mew and Mewtwo both attempted to take hold of a trainer, as Team Rocket cowered into a corner. They found the mental blocking process easier than expected, leading them to believe that they were not acting according to how they though. Their nervous and muscular systems had become separated. This somewhat complicate things, though Ash and May were now under Mewtwo and Mew's control, respectively.

Mew and Mewtwo were still weak, however, and their mental control over both trainers soon ended. They resumed their attack while Mew and Mewtwo huffed and panted.

Then Mew had an idea, and she communicated it to Mewtwo, who nodded in agreement. Together, they flew up through the broken ceiling to find Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie.

Mew's plan was one everyone hoped would be successful. By combining the powers of Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie, they would destroy the red chain that bound Dialga and Palkia to their evil cause. The expected result would be their breaking free of, and destroying, the power machine. It was hypothesized that this would, in turn, release Ash and May from their madness, while restoring the power of the legendaries to their rightful owners.

Back on the floor, Butch, who was the most courageous of the five, sent out every one of his Pokémon, and his peers followed suit. It was all for naught, however, as Ash inexplicably launched a blast burn attack that fainted all the Pokémon in a single hit! Butch wasn't going down without a fight, however, and if he had to risk himself, it was worth it.

"Hey, twerp! You're pretty powerful, but how's your physical prow –"

He was cut off when Ash threw a fist square into his jaw. Butch cried out in pain as he was knocked off his feet and came crashing down onto the floor. His jaw was not broken, but he had a very large bruise, and the cheek Ash hit began swelling like a balloon.

Brock had seen enough, and was also willing to make a hero's sacrifice. Jumping the seven feet down from the observation deck to the working area, he ran straight at May. He managed to wrap his arms around her own arms and torso, before he was forced off by a thunderjolt.

As Brock shook his injured arms around, May turned to face him, her eyes glowing red. Brock whimpered before May ran into him at supersonic speeds. Before losing consciousness, Brock wondered how it was that May was able to do a quick attack. After all, she was normally the one who was the slow walker.

"Brock!" Misty screamed. She threw her pokéballs onto the ground, sending out her watery partners. They'd served her well in many gym battles, but this was no ordinary battle she was about to wage.

Before she could even issue any commands, both Ash and May somehow conjured electrical waves that paralyzed her Pokémon, then sent them crashing into the wall with a psychic attack.

This happened with everybody else's teams, as well. Max's Metang did particularly well against the two superhumans, since it was able to predict their moves and dodge any attacks launched. However, it was still very inexperienced in combat, and it was swiftly defeated when Ash conjured a shadow ball, and May mysteriously blew fire at Metang.

* * *

The four syndicate heads watched the battle with interest and fear. They did not realize just how powerful they'd made those trainers. On top of that, Mew and Mewtwo were nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think it was wise to give those two so much power?" Archie asked to Cyrus, who nodded, his face remaining expressionless.

"Yes. I knew they had potential, and they are now learning to be the vessels of unspeakable power. Do not fear. As long as nothing happens, they will be unstoppable!"

Giovanni frowned. "But what about Mew and Mewtwo? Without them to control those two powerhouses, not even we will be able to command their movements!"

"I, for one, think that we should not be too hasty to make judgments. Things may yet work out in our favor…unless the machine is disrupted by some unhappy chance," Maxie added.

After five minutes of searching, Mew and Mewtwo flew back into the building, along with a revitalized Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie. They now faced the four syndicate heads.

Giovanni's face was scornful. "About time you got back! You have a job to do, remember?"

Mewtwo laughed, causing Giovanni's face to become confused, then fearful.

"You're right. I do have a job. However, it is not to control those humans down there. They are powerful beyond anything I've ever encountered. So instead, this is where I'll be putting an end to your sinister schemes, gentlemen!"

Mew then flew almost straight at Cyrus, then stopped inches from his face. Mew's eyes glowed a light blue.

Cyrus felt a tugging at his belt. He placed his hand there, trying to prevent the theft of the red chain. Mew's telepathic grip was strong, though, so as Cyrus fought to hold on to it, he found himself being lifted into the air.

Mew nodded her head up and down. This shook the red chain, causing Cyrus, in his surprise, to slip and fall ten feet to the ground. The red chain was then thrown in the direction of the machine.

Together, Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie began chanting something in their own language. As they chanted, the jewels on their foreheads glowed. The nearby red chain now glowed the same color. It twisted, extended, contracted, and tied itself in knots. It looked like a snake that was feeling the pain of its deathblow. A few seconds later, the red chain expoded, destroying the bonds of Dialga and Palkia.

The two dragons of time and space, though still weak, were awed by their release. Breaking free of the cables that held them in place, they turned to face the machine. They conjured powerful beams in their mouths, building the power of the attack.

After a few seconds, a dark gray beam and a light pink beam collided with the machine. The force destroyed several mechanical components of the device. Wires shot out sparks and metal panels were blown off. The machine whirred and seemed like it was activating again.

* * *

Suddenly, a new energy dome was created around the complex. It was like the energy sucking beam that had launched earlier, except this one was blue in color. It worked in reverse of the preceding beam, too.

Ash and May were on the verge of launching a final assault at everyone in sight when the machine shot bolts of electricity at them. As with earlier, they screamed in pain as the uncontrollable powers were ripped from their bodies, allowing their minds to reestablish control over their bodies. When this ended, they fainted onto the floor.

From Ash and May's unconscious bodies, green rays soared through the air to the malfunctioning machine, up through the ceiling, and out and around, returning into their owner's bodies. This caused every legendary alive to be revitalized. The time of terror had passed.

* * *

Slowly, both trainers began awakening. The first thing they both saw upon awakening was each other.

"May?" Ash asked.

"Ash?" May responded.

"Wha…what happened?"

They climbed up to their feet and brushed themselves off. They felt drained of energy, yet also felt like they had been rejuvenated. Because of this, they guessed that their power rage had ended with spectacular results.

"Welcome back, you two knuckleheads," Archie commented from the observation deck, where he stood along with Maxie, Cyrus, and Giovanni.

"Archie! Come down here and face me, you coward!" Ash called.

Maxie laughed. "What do you say, gentlemen?"

"I say we call his foolhardy bluff!" said Cyrus.

"Agreed. To battle!" Giovanni cried as he pulled a pokéball from his pocket.

Pikachu jumped onto the floor, where he was soon joined by May's Blaziken. Ash and May decided they would not need to make substitutions unless needed. They were determined to bring a dramatic ending to the villains' plans once and for all.

From the deck, four pokéballs landed, opening to reveal Persian, Magmortar, Tentacruel, and Deoxys (which, upon entering battle, went from neutral mode to attack mode).

This was a good strategy, and it was clear that even a powerful Blaziken and determined Pikachu did not have much hope. Climbing down the stairs, Ash and May were joined by Dawn and Max, who sent out their Pachirisu and Mudkip, respectively.

Ultimately, everybody witnessing the events knew that in this four-on-four battle, the stakes were high. So high, in fact, that it would be a winner take all situation. If Ash and friends prevailed, the enemys' plans would be completely undone. However, if the syndicate heads won, they'd be able to continue with their ruthlessness.

* * *

The final battle began. Pikachu squared off against Persian, Blaziken attacked Deoxys, Pachirisu went after Tentacruel, and Mudkip fought Magmortar.

For several long minutes, the two sides fought valiantly, neither losing nor gaining ground. Many attacks were either deflected or dodged, although the occasional blow would be landed on the target. For the spectators, it was an intense battle.

Finally, the four heroes began winning. The tides shifted in their favor.

Pikachu was tiring out, but Giovanni's Persian was also starting to get weary from chasing his prey. Persian's fury swipes had scratched the mouse considerably, but the match took a surprise ending when Pikachu hit Persian dead on with his volt tackle attack.

Blaziken was wearing out. Her foe kept alternating forms between attacks, so either it was dealing heavy blows, or its armor-like skin kept it safe from harm. Blaziken did notice, however, that all four of Deoxys's form had a jewel-like navel. Mustering up a powerful blast burn attack, the white hot flames shot from her mouth towards that target, effectively injuring the defending Pokémon and knocking him out.

Pachirisu had been blinded by Tentacruel's mud slap attack earlier, but that didn't stop the yellow-cheeked squirrel from landing on the water/poison type and delivering a powerful jolt of electricity. It was so strong that Tenacruel's body glowed a light blue with aftershocks before collapsing onto the ground, spirals taking place of its eyes.

Although Magmortar had the size and power to use to its advantage over the little Mudkip, the mud fish Pokémon was speedier, and was able to stay out of harm's way through clever dodge tactics. Mudkip tried several water guns and hydro pumps on Magmortar, who seemed to brush off the attacks at first. Gradually, however, this David-and-Goliath-esque bout proved to be too much for the blast Pokémon, who fainted after one last watery attack hit it.

Immediately following the bout, something wonderous happened. While the four criminal masterminds were coming downstairs to recall their fainted warriors, Max's Mudkip began glowing as it entered evolution. Slowly, the light changed its form. A few seconds later, the glow stopped, and a new Pokémon arose.

"Marshtomp!" the Pokémon formerly known as Mudkip happily exclaimed.

* * *

No sooner did Max's congratulatory reception end, then the four masterminds approached. They seemed anything but happy. On the contrary, they all had looks of insanity on their faces. Giovanni, acting as the leader, stepped forth.

"So, Ash. We meet yet again, and once more, under peculiar circumstances. I must say that you've raised your Pokémon well. However, they won't be helping you against this!"

As he spoke, Giovanni took out a remote from within his jacket pocket and hit a button. Some panels in random parts of the walls opened and cannons began emerging.

Both Ash and Max had been in this exact situation once before, so they knew what was coming. Right before the nets were fired, Ash tackled May to the floor, and Max did the same with Dawn. The nets crashed into each other and fell uselessly to the floor. Ash couldn't help but smirk at Giovanni as he helped May off the floor.

"Nice try, old man, but I've been captured by you and your lackeys so many times that you've run out of new ways to apprehend me or my friends."

Rage seemed to erupt on Giovanni's face, and it wasn't just because he'd been called an "old man". He was determined to end this dispute right now.

"I'LL GET YOU, ASH KETCHUM! YAAAUGH!" Giovanni screamed as he ran towards Ash.

"Blaziken, stop him with will-o-wisp!" May commanded.

Blaziken spat out several fireballs that hit Giovanni and his cohorts, knocking them off their feet. Groaning, Giovanni looked up to see Ash and Pikachu glaring down at him.

"You've failed. Now it's time to put a final, crashing halt into your vile schemes! Pikachu, send them flying with your thunder attack!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, but he stopped it when Giovanni began laughing hysterically.

"Go ahead, Ash! However, I find your choice of words interesting. _'Old man'_, I believe you said. Yes, interesting indeed."

Pikachu was confused, as was Ash. Shaking it out of his head, Ash frowned. "Why do you say that? You are an old man! You're several decades older than me!"

"Indeed, though not nearly as old as you think. I was in my twenties when I dated a young brunette by the name of…Delia Ketchum!"

"What did you do to my mom?!" Ash demanded.

"We had a fling going on for many months. It didn't work out, in the end, but that was not because of her pregnancy that I left. I told her I'd be leaving on a Pokémon journey, when in reality, I was coming to assume the role left to me by my ailing mother. After four days, I traveled from Pallet Town to Viridian City to fulfill my role."

A few seconds passed before Ash said anything. "I still don't follow…" he said lamely.

Giovanni closed his eyes and smiled.

"Ash, I…am your father!"

This simple declaration had a huge impact on everybody.

"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed, his face turning white as a ghost.

"PIKA!" Pikachu mimicked Ash.

"AIYEE!" Brock declared.

"Whoa, didn't see that one coming…" Paul quietly said.

"Poor Ash," Misty and Dawn lamented.

"Wow…"was all Tracey could find the strength to say.

"Yikes, that's rough…" Drew said.

"Ouch," Max commented.

May said nothing, though her face clearly had shock written all over it. It was plain from the way her jaw hung open. She then gave Ash a sympathetic look.

"What the…how…What?!" Ash exclaimed again.

Giovanni repeated his previous statement. "You heard me right, Ash. Delia was a wonderful young woman, and my time with her was great, but I've since moved on. I'll spare you the explanation of your biological origins. Know only that it was with me that your mother conceived, and gave birth to, you."

Ash stood transfixed. He didn't know who he was anymore. It was just sinking into his mind that he was the son of the head boss of Team Rocket!

Elaborating on this new revelation, Giovanni continued his explanation.

"For years, I wondered what had become of her. I never knew the child she bore. It wasn't until word of you reached my ears from my three incompetent underlings. _A boy from Pallet Town by the name of Ash Ketchum_. And guess what? You were ten then, which was also how long it had been since I left to assume my duties as head of Team Rocket. So I welcome you home, _son…_" He made sure to put particular emphasis on that last word.

* * *

Ten seconds passed in silence, though it felt like hours to Ash. _Is this man for real? Me? The, gulp, SON of the Team Rocket syndicate head?_ He was lost in these thoughts for a while. Then, he shook his head violently and glared at the man claiming to be his father.

"NEVER!" he shouted. Pikachu, knowing what came next, launched a tremendous thunder attack. Explosions were happening everywhere. In groups of twos and threes, guards, engineers, and the four villainous men were sent flying into the air, landing in their home regions by some unusual fortune.

There was still one last evildoer in the vicinity, however.

* * *

Harley had been virtually useless and stand-offish ever since he brought May here. While everything else was happening, he was fantasizing about how he would finally kill Ash and May. His master was gone now, so therefore, they were still his to eliminate.

"Oh, curse you, you killjoys! I'll have what I want one way or the other!" he shouted in particular to Ash and May.

"C'mon, let's follow him!" Ash shouted, and everybody followed after Harley.

The exit to the building wasn't to a beachfront, but rather, to some sort of landing pad that was loaded with helicopters. Harley jumped into a helicopter that was equipped with rocket launchers. He had just started the engines and lifted off when nine trainers and two legendaries entered the area.

"Perfect. Here we go! _Here's hoping to see you both rot in hell!_" Harley vented to himself as he started firing missiles at the group, who quickly dispersed and him among the other aircraft.

Ash and May stood their ground, however, their Pikachu and Blaziken using electrical and fiery attacks to deflect and destroy the missile before they could hit their mark. One missile, however, managed to slip past the two Pokémon's defenses. It continued straight on towards May.

May screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw what could be her metallic grim reaper coming to end her life.

"MAY! LOOK OUT!" Ash shouted loudly. He ran at May and tackled her to the ground. The missile whizzed by, missing by inches, before crashing into the wall near them. Lots of shrapnel and debris flew through the flames and crashed onto the ground near them.

Harley saw this and, believing them to be dead, smiled with himself. He then prepared to take his leave. Ash, several hundred feet below, noticed.

"HARLEY! COME BACK HERE, AND GET A DOSE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE!" he screamed up at the retreating aviator.

"I don't think so, Ash! Now that your beloved May is dead, I've done what I wanted to do for a long time now!" Harley shouted back, before he was out of Ash's range of hearing.

_GRR…That son of a bitch!_ Ash thought to himself.

Mewtwo came forward.

"Your friend is not dead. She is very much alive. Check up on her while I deal with that wicked human!" With that, he flew up into the air.

As Harley flew, he couldn't help but laugh. _Oh, happy day! My revenge is complete! She'll never cross paths with me ever again!_

He adjusted the rear-view mirror, only to see a purplish-black dot grow rapidly larger. He could just barely make out Mewtwo in the reflection. His zeal died instantly.

_Oh no…_

The shadow ball smacked into the rotors of Harley's chopper, causing the main fuel line to catch fire and, consequentially, explode the aircraft. Harley did not perish, but it was to be a very long time before he was seen or heard from again.

* * *

Ash felt like celebrating when he saw Mewtwo destroy Harley's craft, but then remembered Mewtwo saying that May was still alive. He kneeled down beside her.

"May, are you okay?"

"Oh Ash, I think…something's in my leg…it really hurts…" As May spoke, tears were starting to fall from her eyes.

Ash looked at May's legs, which were spread apart by about a few inches. He lifted a large chunk of stone from her one leg, which was badly bruised. When he touched her thigh to assess further injury, she winced in pain. Ash knew this to mean that this particular leg was not only bruised, but broken.

The sight of her lower leg was a disturbing sight to behold. Indeed, a piece of metal had become embedded just above her ankle. Blood was starting to ooze slowly from the wound.

"Oh my God, May…" Ash said. "We need to get you to the hospital right away!"

May's eyes seemed to be losing focus.

"Hold me, Ash," she managed to say before passing out.

Ash lifter her in both his arms and began to carry her as quickly across the landing pad and onto the sands as fast as he could.

Suddenly, he felt his legs become paralyzed for no reason. He turned to see his seven other companions, and the two psychic legendaries floating in the air.

Mewtwo spoke in his usual telepathic manner.

"Her wounds are considerable, human. She won't make it at the rate you're going. Your actions are commendable, but if you truly wish to save her, you must come with us. We can teleport you to the nearest medical facility."

Ash looked up at Mewtwo, a tear rolling down his face. He then smiled.

"I accept. Thank you!"

Paul then stepped forward.

"That girl's got strong will, but I don't think she has the spirit to hold on. In fact, I doubt she'll even make it through the next half hour! She's weak!"

Mewtwo let out a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"Mew."

"Mew?" the smaller of the two feline-like legendaries asked.

"Take them to the nearest hospital in the nearest town. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself. I have to teach our young friend here a lesson once more."

"Mew, Mew Mew!"

Mew lowered herself to where everybody could get a hand on her as she glowed and teleported them all away. Only Mewtwo and Paul were left standing on the beach. Mewtwo glared mercilessly at Paul.

"What? It's true! She _is _weak! Why, I'm willing to bet that sh –"

"PATHETIC HUMAN!" Mewtwo shouted as his eyes glowed a bright purple color. Immediately, Paul was enveloped in a purplish aura, and like before, Mewtwo sent him flying into the wall, which was the hardest surface around. This time, however, Mewtwo increased Paul's punishment from ten beatings to 25.

Paul fought to get up when his most recent round of beatings had ended. As he rose from the ground, he saw that his nose was bleeding badly. He was about to call Mewtwo a sore pain in the ass, but decided not to risk the extra 30 beatings that such an action would carry.

Mewtwo, now content to have whacked more sense into the arrogant Paul, moved towards him.

"Let's go. And try to be considerate of others next time!" Mewtwo said as he teleported himself and Paul to where Mew had taken the others.

* * *

**Okay, that's the end of chapter 21! In case you haven't guessed it by now, the last four chapters were a parody of JRR Tolkien's **_**The Lord of the Rings**_**. Chapter 18 was **_**Fellowship of the Ring**_**, chapter 19 was **_**The Two Towers**_**, and the last two chapters (20 & 21) were **_**Return of the King**_**. To draw some analogies:**

**Ash and May - Frodo Baggins and Samwise "Sam" Gamgee (in no particular respect)**

**Giovanni and his cronies - Sauron and the armies**

**Cyrus - Saruman**

**Paul - Gandalf**

**Maxie - Balrog**

**Harley - Sméagol (aka, Gollum)**

**Everyone else - Meriadoc Brandybuck ("Merry"), Peregrin Took ("Pippin"), Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, ****and the armies of Rohan, Gondor, and the army of the dead (again in no particular regard or order)**

**I DO NOT own LOTR or any rights to it. I'm just a fan who made a parody of it that, after a fair amount of alteration, was made to fit the overall storyline.**

**Also, the scene where Giovanni reveals he's Ash's father…that's from **_**Star Wars**_** (which I also do not own).**

**Okay, so that brings me to my final note. As you may have guessed, this chapter brought about the end of the story's central conflict, so it's all downhill from here. I'm gonna add a few more chapters before I bring this particular FanFic to a close. Stay tuned for more chapters and alerts! Oh, and if you've read, reviewed, favorite, etc., then THANK YOU!**


	22. The Guardian And The Angel

**Chapter 22: The Guardian And The Angel**

Ash slowly awoke from his sleep and looked around at where he was. It had been a few hours since he and his friends had been teleported here to check May in with the doctors in the emergency department.

Ash had been sleeping for an hour here in the general surgery waiting room for over an hour. Just before he dozed, the doctors told him that May, who was then still unconscious, would be entering the OR so that the shrapnel in her leg could be removed.

Pikachu was sleeping on Ash's stomach, and his friends were also asleep in their chairs. Ash smiled upon seeing Drew and Dawn on a couch. Even in their sleep, Drew looked to have his arm around Dawn's shoulders, and Dawn's head was resting on his.

"Well, it looks like Drew and Dawn have gotten together. I guess that's cool…" Ash whispered to himself.

The only person missing (besides May) was Paul. Upon entering the emergency department, Paul's nosebleed was still severe, and he had several bruises on his face. Needless to say, he too had been admitted to the hospital for treatment of "facial trauma". Ash knew who was responsible, and was glad Mewtwo punished Paul for making derogatory comments about May.

_May's a strong girl. I know she can pull through this!_

A nurse came into the waiting room and walked up to Ash.

"Excuse me…Ash Ketchum? Were you the one who checked May Maple into the hospital?"

"Yeah, that's me. What is it?"

"I've come to inform you that Miss Maple's surgery was completed successfully, though we'll be needing to keep her here for a couple days until the stitches can be removed. If you'd like, I can take you to her room now…"

"That'd be great, thank you."

Carefully lifting the dozing Pikachu off his stomach and placing him on the seat as he got up, Ash followed the nurse around a few hallways and to the room.

The nurse spoke again. "I'm afraid that she's still asleep. Before we began, we put her under general anesthesia just to be sure she didn't wake up in mid-operation. You may go on in, but she'll probably be asleep for the next couple of hours."

"Okay. Thanks again, nurse."

The nurse smiled and walked off. Ash walked into the room and took a seat.

He was not alone in the room. Across the room were two chairs. In one chair, Mew was fast asleep. In the chair next to hers sat Mewtwo, whose closed eyes and raised hands gave the impression that he was meditating.

"How'd you get in here?" Ash asked the two Pokémon.

Without changing his pose, Mewtwo spoke.

"Let's just say the medical staff here is open to…_persuasion._ Mew wanted to check on the girl, and I just came along for the ride. To tell the truth, I'd rather be on my way now, seeing as my former master has been dealt with. However, Mew here is impressionable, and feels a sense of loyalty to the girl. So we've just been keeping an eye on her as she sleeps. Don't let us bother you. I know you've been waiting to see May."

With that, Mewtwo shook the sleeping Mew lightly to awaken her, and together, they headed out towards the lobby. Ash didn't know whether or not they'd be staying, and if they did, how long was anybody's guess. Not that that mattered to Ash right now. At the moment, all his thoughts were on the girl sleeping on the bed in the center of the room.

May looked like her sleep was undisturbed despite all the things about her that the hospital had done. She was still wearing her favorite bandana, though her body was now clothed in the traditional patient's gown. Beside the bed, an IV bag hung, attached to a tube that ran from the bag down into one of May's arms.

Ash moved his seat up to the bedside and looked at her face. Her face looked so peaceful. Ash could feel his face heat up as he continued to look upon her beautiful face. It was the face of an angel, or at least, that's how Ash would put it.

He placed his hand on top of May's hand, and grasped it lightly. As he listened carefully, he could hear her slow and steady breathing. It was a relaxing sound. He smiled as he felt the warmth of her hand in his.

"Hey, May," he said, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him. Nonetheless, he wanted to speak to her as if she were awake.

"The docs told me that you made through your surgery okay. I knew you could do it. Others may consider you weak, but to me, you've always been strong and willful. I consider myself lucky to have such a good friend as you around. I know that you're probably going back to Johto with Drew when you're all healed, but I just wanna say that you'll never know how happy I am to be back with you again."

At this time, the nurse came into the room to tell Ash that he'd been visiting May long enough. Ash nodded, saying he'd be out in a few seconds. Before he left, he stood up and kissed May on the forehead. She seemed almost to smile when he did.

"Take care, May. Know that I will watch over you because I will be your guardian. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow, I guess."

* * *

When Ash returned to the lobby, he found that Brock and Pikachu had awakened. They knew Ash was with May, so they didn't look too worried.

"How is she?" Brock asked.

"She's still asleep, but she's doing fine, from what I've seen."

Brock nodded in acknowledgement.

"Mew and Mewtwo came by a few minutes ago, saying that they'd take their leave for now but return until May's better," Brock added.

It was Ash's turn to nod. Meanwhile, Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pika pichu, chapika!"

"Thanks for the encouragement, Pikachu," Ash said to the yellow mouse.

The nurse came back again. Brock, upon seeing her, was overtaken by his inner romantic.

"Oh nurse! I think I've been feeling something about us since before we met face-to-face! I need to know how I can be cured of not telling you how good you loo –"

Midway through Brock's usual romance rhetoric, Croagunk's pokéball opened, and the frog-like Pokémon jumped, grabbed Brock by the ear, and dragged him away from the confused nurse.

"I don't know what that was about, but I was going to say that visitation hours are over, so if you all want, you can come back tomorrow around eight," the nurse explained before retreating back into the hallway.

Together, Ash and Brock aroused their sleeping friends and told them all that had transpired. Everyone left the hospital together to head towards the local Pokémon center. After checking in, they ate dinner in relative silence, while at the same time excitedly congratulating each other on the day's achievements. In only one day, they'd taken down four syndicate heads and shut down their villainous plans.

Misty, Tracey and Paul (who was released from the hospital shortly before everyone left) all went to bed a few hours before the others. Misty and Tracey wanted to check in on May before heading back to their respective home towns. Paul, on the other hand, just wanted to get back to Sinnoh, seeing as there was nothing here for him (except bad memories).

* * *

As Ash lay in his bed that night, he wondered if he'd be able to tell May how he felt about her. He had a crush on her when she traveled with him, Max, and Brock in Hoenn, and now that she was back, he felt the crush return also. However, he also pondered if May's recent break-up with Drew was still weighing on her heart, and if it would be wise to "rush in" to another relationship.

_I'll worry about all that when the time comes,_ Ash thought as he fell asleep.

* * *

**Hey, sorry it's such a short chapter, but I think a lot of the stuff I'm planning to write now would fit better in later chapters. Meanwhile, I predict that there are three chapters to go before I call this tale complete (though that may change to be more or less). One more thing: for those of you who keep up with my daily postings, I'm sorry for the irregularity the past few days ****–**** homework**** and other stuff are keeping me tied up. But I'm determined to see this through to the end! Thanks, and don't be afraid to review!**


	23. Healed

**Chapter 23: Healed**

_She stood on a grassy hill overlooking __Ecruteak__ City, which she would pass through on her way to the contest hall in Olivine City. As she walked, the sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. A few bird Pokémon flew overhead. The serenity of the scene was unbelievable. _

_She was still a good distance from the town, at least an hour's walk away. Taking a deep breath, she began her gradual descent down into the town. However, as she did, dark clouds suddenly blocked out the sun and clear sky._

_A flash of lightning illuminated the surrounding area. Seconds later, an earsplitting boom of thunder echoed through the valley below. Immediately after her horror-filled experience ended, the rain began falling. Falling lightly at first, the rain soon began coming down in great torrents. The water was anything but pleasant for the shivering girl, who began running in the hopes of finding cover from the storm._

_The brunette shrieked as another great flash of lightning accompanied an impossibly loud clap of thunder whose echo in the sky lasted for about half a minute. She began running even faster, her hopes of finding shelter reaching their peak._

_By now, her shoes, black socks, biking shorts, mini skirt, red-black blouse, and bandana were all completely drenched with rainwater. __As she ran, she failed to take notice of a large puddle in her path. Trying to run through the surprisingly deep muddy water caused her to lose her balance and fall face-first into the mud._

_Suddenly, a figure came up to her. By the sound of the voice, it was a male, and one she thought she could recognize at that._

_"C'mon, __Ecruteak__ is literally just steps away! I'll take you to the Pokémon center, and you can warm up and dry off there."_

_"Thank you," the girl said to the young man, who extended a hand out to help her off the muddy ground. The mud in her eyes impaired her vision, although she could see the proffered hand. She gratefully took it and let him lead the rest of the way to town._

May was asleep in her hospital bed. She'd woken briefly to find herself in the hospital, and it was obvious to her that her leg had been treated successfully (though it still gave an irritating twinge). She was grateful that Ash had managed to get her here safely, or else she was sure she'd be in trouble right now. After she ate her dinner, she took her pain medications, which caused her to fall into a deep sleep, during which she had the dream.

* * *

The next two days went by quickly and eventfully. After seeing May in the hospital, Tracey and Misty took their leave of town to take the first ferry back to Kanto. Likewise, Paul boarded the first ship heading back to the Sinnoh region. Ash, Brock, and Dawn refused to join him, since they wanted to see May out of the hospital and say their goodbyes before they would make their own trek back to Sinnoh.

Max, too, also wanted to say good-bye to his older sibling before returning to his anticipated adventures in the Hoenn region. He waited alongside his friends in the hospital lobby, hoping May would be released as expected.

Drew was also wanting to see his friend in safety and comfort. Besides that, he wished to return to Johto on the same ship as her. This was perfect, as the ferry would take them to Olivine City, where they'd been heading towards before the chaos caught up with them. Hence, they'd be able to pick up where they left off, and with the timing being such that they'd have hardly lost any time on this whole side-adventure.

It was around mid-day when May was formally released from the hospital's care. She was back in her usual outfit of choice, except for her heavily bandaged leg. She walked with the assistance of a pair of crutches, as she was to keep off the injured leg for at least two weeks, the doctors told the group.

Everybody had something they each wanted to do before regrouping and planning out the rest of the day (they couldn't leave yet, since the last of the outgoing ferries had departed, and the earliest ones they could board would be ready the next morning). They decided to meet in the Pokémon center within one hour.

* * *

May wanted to call her parents in Petalburg to tell them what all had happened, and Max came along with her, not wanting a chance to bring his parents up to speed on his journey thus far.

As May sat in front of the graphical telephone booth, she carefully placed her crutches to the side and told Max he'd get his turn when she was done with hers. She dialed the number, and shortly thereafter, Caroline Maple's image came on the screen.

"Why, hello May! It's great to see you remembered to call home once in a while!"

"Hi, mom. Sorry about not phoning more often, but you know how it is being an aspiring Pokémon coordinator! Anyway, I'd just though I'd let you know how things are going."

There was a brief interruption on Caroline's end, which was shortly followed by the screen splitting in two, the second half revealing Norman.

"Hiya, May! How's my eldest child doing?"

"Hey, daddy, I'm doing okay. There's some stuff I'd thought I'd let you both know, now that you two are speaking with me…"

May went on to explain her journey in Johto following Azalea Town (where she'd last contacted them), and everything that happened since then, concluding with the circumstances of her injury and her desire to tell them before heading back to pick up where she left off. She was careful not to mention her brief fling with Drew, as she felt that her parents might disapprove of her having a boyfriend at the age of thirteen.

Naturally, Caroline was very shocked by May's tale, which also had the effect of bringing out Norman's rage. Norman swore he'd cause great pain to Harley if he ever saw him, and only stopped his venting when Caroline prompted him to get his emotions under control. They wished a speedy recovery for May, and best wishes for her future adventured. Max's time with his parents was much shorter, as May had already explained much of the events (although Max told the story again from his point of view). He talked about his Pokémon and about how he planned to return home briefly before setting out once more.

* * *

Ash and Brock decided to kill time around the town. Brock, whose traveling supplies were running low, went to the store to replenish the stock. He made sure that he had everything needed to last him, Ash, and Dawn their first few days back in Sinnoh. Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu went off to the nearby beach to find some aquatic Pokémon to train against.

Last, but certainly not least, Drew and Dawn decided to have some alone time with each other. They felt a bit guilty about coming together so soon, but knew what their exes were like. They both knew that Ash and May were made for each other. Hence, they shouldn't feel guilty about hooking up either. Dawn was drawn by Drew's romantic advance, and Drew was drawn by Dawn's fierceness in the few contest battles they'd had during May's hospitalization. In a single moment, they were linked together by a bond that went beyond mere friendship. They even decided that they were definitely up to the challenges of a long-distance relationship.

Once everyone was at the Pokémon center an hour later, they ate lunch and began plotting how to spend the rest of the day. And so the afternoon began…

* * *

**Ah, I'm TERRIBLY sorry for posting another short chapter! I promise**** the next ****chapter'll**** be considerably longer than these last two! Also, I'm afraid I'm going to miss my usual update tomorrow night because I have a Math test Tuesday and I need to study for it. I promise I'll have something up by Tuesday night, and I'll continue as I normally have from there on out. Thanks! –ShadowKing1988**


	24. You, Me, And Us

**Chapter 24: ****You, Me, And Us**

**Hey, sorry about my brief hiatus. I had to study for a math test Monday night (which I got back today – 91 Woo! Go me!), then I felt obligated to participate in the "Super Tuesday" caucuses in my home state of Colorado (I won't say who I supported, since I don't want flames that don't pertain to this story – know that it was a choice I felt would ultimately benefit the future of the United States). But I'm back now, so here's the next chapter you've been waiting patiently for! Here we go!**

* * *

The afternoon began on a pleasant note. Everybody still wanted to be able to do their own thing, so there was no hindering on anybody's end. Of course, May wouldn't be able to do her stuff alone, seeing as she had a bad leg. Somebody would have to endure the torture (or pleasure, depending on circumstances) of going shopping with her for an entire afternoon.

Ultimately, May was to go out with…Ash! **(Author's Note: Just for certain effects, and because I'm lazy, I'll only focus on Ash and May in this chapter. Know that everyone else is off on their own, enjoying themselves).**

Ash felt ecstatic and nervous at the same time. He hadn't been alone with May in several months at the least, and he always got a weird feeling around her. Especially after he found her again almost a week ago. Besides, he knew he'd changed somehow, and undoubtedly, so too did May.

Getting out of the Pokémon center proved to be an interesting sight for any onlooker. As expected, May, still not totally adjusted to her crutches, was the slowest person to get out of the building. Her movement speed was roughly half of what it had been before the injury. Nonetheless, her friends were patient, and very sympathetic of her situation. They let her take her time leaving the building.

Once everyone was grouped off and took to their respective routes of travel, Ash walked slowly beside May. He felt sad for her to have to move like that. _Nobody should have to suffer like May,_ Ash thought as May slowly fought her way to keep up with Ash. Pikachu walked on the ground in case Ash needed any help.

* * *

They were heading to the local shopping outlet mall, which, thankfully, was just a few blocks down the road from the Pokémon center. As they walked, a conversation intricated itself between the two teenagers. Ash was the first to speak.

"Hey May, I'm really sorry about the way I acted the other day. I didn't mean to blow up on you and Pikachu and –"

"Don't worry about it, Ash. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. If only I'd known that Harley would try to kill us like that…"

"Heh, guess we're both at fault then," Ash chuckled. May giggled, but immediately stopped when she tripped a foot over an unseen rock.

"You sure you're alright, May?" Ash asked after May began losing her balance and nearly fell. Fortunately, Ash caught her and restored her posture before she fell.

"Thank you, Ash. I'm fine. But are you okay? I mean, with finding out that…?"

Ash looked at his feet as he walked. The memory of his encounter with Giovanni still lingered on his mind, and it was still a great deal to take in. A few days had passed since then, though Ash still couldn't believe his father was the very head of Team Rocket. Regardless, facts are facts, and Ash could either accept this twisted fate, or be completely ignorant and look like a fool.

"I guess. I still can't believe that…that…GIOVANNI could be my father. Of all people!"

May gave as sympathetic a smile as she could at Ash.

"Don't worry, Ash. You're still my friend, no matter what!"

Ash returned her smile. "Thanks, May. You're the best friend I could ever ask for!"

Suddenly, Ash acted on an impulse and gave May a hug, almost picking her up off the ground. Surprised, May smiled slightly as she returned the hug as best she could.

"_Cha!_"a high-pitched voice cooed.

It was only now that the two teens took notice of the small yellow mouse at their feet. Pikachu looked extremely pleased with what he was witnessing. Ash and May promptly broke the embrace and looked at their feet to hide their blushing faces. It was too late, though – their actions had a witness.

"Keep a secret, Pikachu?" Ash whispered to the small electric type as he climbed onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pi Pikachu!" the Pokémon replied, making a victory sign with his tiny fingers.

"Thanks, pal!"

* * *

For the next 20 minutes, they walked in relative silence, ever grateful for the other's presence. Eventually, they reached the mall. The excitement and happiness on May's face was unmistakable. If her leg wasn't all bandaged up, she'd have run in and entered the first shop she could. Since she couldn't, though, she just hobbled as quickly as she could through the main entryway into the mall.

As was to be expected, this was where the torment would begin for Ash. He didn't mind helping May get around, and her company was definitely more enjoyable than he remembered. However, shopping was something Ash never really could tolerate, and having to guide May closely in each store they visited, plus carrying all the shopping bags, was a huge strain on his ego.

Inevitably, his worst nightmare came true.

"You know what, Ash?" May announced. "I think it's time for me to get a new bikini swimsuit! After all, I absolutely HAVE to look my best on the beach!"

Ash let her have a head start into the small clothing store. He let out something between a sigh and a groan. Pikachu did the same.

_Here goes nothing…_

Together, Ash and May (and Pikachu, though he mostly rested inside Ash's pack) spent what felt (to Ash) like an eternity browsing all the one-piece swimsuits and two-piece bikinis. Ash would have felt marginally more comfortable in the men's swimwear section, but this was for May (at least, for the time being), so it HAD to be women's swimwear.

As Ash held up each piece of swimwear for May to inspect, Ash took several nervous glances around the store. The women who were also browsing swimsuits occasionally looked at him. Some had sympathetic expressions; others had looks that said "what a pervert".

_Hurry up, May! I can't take this much longer…_

Eventually, Ash sighed a breath of relief when May found a two-piece pink bikini that she wanted to try on. For obvious reasons, Ash accompanied her only as far as the dressing rooms, before leaving her to fend for her own stability. About five minutes later, May came out wearing the bikini.

"So, Ash, how do I look?"

Ash's jaw nearly dropped at the sight. She was breathtakingly beautiful in the swimwear. So much, that Ash literally had no breath to speak with at first. He took a few seconds to respond.

"Uh…um…y-y-you l-look…"

May giggled loudly. "Glad ya like it, Ashy! I'm gonna buy it!"

Ash could feel his face heat up as May retreated back into the changing room. He had no idea his friend had changed so much physically in so short a time. Yep, no doubt about it in his mind. His crush on May Maple…was back, perhaps even stronger than before. But how did she feel about him?

He recomposed himself in time to see May come back, dressed in her regular outfit, with the bikini wrapped around one arm. Once again, Ash walked beside May as he escorted her towards the men's swimwear section (Ash spontaneously decided to get a new swimsuit as well, just to be able to show himself off to May). Grabbing the first blue-and-black swimsuit he saw, he went to his respective dressing room and changed.

When May saw him, her look was priceless to Ash. Her mouth opened to gasp (which she covered with a gloved hand), and her face blushed visibly. Now feeling a bit cocky, Ash made some poses and flexed his arms.

"You look great in that, Ash!" May laughed.

"I appreciate the compliments!" Ash chuckled.

Ash smiled at her before going into the dressing room to change back into his normal outfit. Meanwhile, May smiled as she thought just how much Ash had changed.

_My God, he'__s handsome. And those arms! That body, even!__ So strong…__But is he confident? How would he react if he knew how I felt? Wait! How does he feel…about me?_

Once the two had purchased their respective swimming garments, they set off for other adventures within the mall. At this time, Ash looked at the clock. 4:17 PM. He decided to head back with May to the Pokémon center in about 45 minutes. For now, they would use the time they had, to enjoy being with each other.

* * *

Presently, they were finished with the main load of shopping, and came upon an ice cream store. Deciding to enjoy a bit of frozen refreshment, they both walked up to the guy behind the counter and placed their orders.

"Okay, your total comes to $9.06," the clerk said as he checked the bill for each of their treats (Ash got a chocolate cream cone, May got a vanilla cream cone, and Pikachu had a small banana split (he also helped himself to several ketchup packets)).

"I'll get it, May," Ash said as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"But Ash, you really don't have to do this! I can pay for me and Pikachu!"

"My treat," Ash said smiling. May smiled as she slowly returned her own wallet to the pack resting on her hips.

"Thank you, Ash!"

May grabbed the treats and carried them to a sitting area while Ash finished the transaction. A moment later, the three of them were sitting side by side, with Pikachu in between. In silence, they began licking at the frozen goodness in their hands.

May got an idea at that instant. As Ash was about to take another lick from his cone, May shoved hers into his mouth. Ash, surprised, took a small bite and swallowed before speaking.

"What's the deal, May?" he whined. He then smiled as he thrust his own cone into her mouth right as she was about to reply. She too also took a small bite before looking at Ash.

"You've got vanilla on your face, Ash," May giggled.

"And you've got chocolate on yours, May!" Ash chuckled.

The two of them laughed, soon joined by Pikachu, who laughed but didn't really get the joke, as he hadn't been paying attention. May turned to Pikachu.

"And how's your…WHAT IS THAT?!" May asked, her smiling face warping into one of confusion and disgust.

Ash looked and saw that the contents of Pikachu's bowl were completely red.

"Pika, Pikachu!" the mouse smiled, his face entirely covered in red. Ash looked at the floor and saw several empty and carelessly disposed-of ketchup packets. Understanding, Ash now looked at the confused May. He smiled embarrassedly.

"Yeah, Pikachu's still got a major obsession with ketchup. He raids every bottle he sees!" Ash's explanation caused May to have a temporary burst of uncontrollable laughter, which Ash accompanied her in. Pikachu laughed, not feeling the least bit ashamed of enjoying a food that many people would find repulsive. Only he could truly appreciate a banana split entirely covered in ketchup!

The time went by quickly, and soon it was 5:00 PM. Getting May back to the Pokémon center was still laborious, and still took about 20 minutes to get back. However, it felt easier on the both of them, due to the bonding opportunities they'd taken advantage of earlier. There was definitely something there, as Pikachu knew too well. It was only a matter of time now…

* * *

The reception couldn't have been better for either of them. All of their friends were there with some kind of story to share about their day. Ash and May's was, by far, the best of them all.

"Sounds like you had fun, sis," Max complimented. Then, under his breath, he said, "almost like a blonde!"

"Max, you take that back!" May scolded. She knew he was just playing, as he always did. Still, she thought his own Hoenn adventures would mature him more. Ah, well, maybe he'd be a late-bloomer.

Not much had happened to Drew and Dawn that was too different from the afternoon Ash and May had. They made the announcement, a little hesitantly, that they were now officially going out. Their horror dissolved, however, when both Ash and May smiled approvingly at the new couple. Ash looked at May's sapphire eyes at the same time May looked at Ash's auburn eyes. They blushed and looked away. Those who saw the display chuckled quietly to themselves.

Brock was silent. He looked at Pikachu with a look almost like horror.

"What's the matter, Brock?" Ash asked his longtime friend.

Brock, still horrified beyond wits end, pointed at Pikachu. Unlike his trainers, he neglected to clean his face off after the scene in the mall.

"Pikachu! You've still got ketchup on your face!" both Ash and May cried in unison.

Everybody laughed, even Brock, whose face now looked relieved.

Since everybody was here and had traded stories, a twin rumbling (Ash and May's stomachs) indicated it was now time to consume the evening meal.

* * *

Later that night, May lay in her bed in the room she was sharing with Dawn. She carefully rolled to the side, being cautious to move her injured leg slowly. She looked at the bedside clock. 10:24 PM.

May was still awake. She knew that because she had to get up early to catch her ferry, she needed to be asleep by now. But something was troubling her, and it wasn't her leg.

She thought back to the day Ash had busted her out of the crude cell the criminals had kept her in. Then she thought of those little moments when Ash had been there for her. How he'd let her cry on his shoulder (and he on hers). How she'd returned the favor by leading an assault on the criminals compound and freeing Ash. Then, about how he'd been with her in her time of need and peril. He risked himself to save her from the insane Harley. And it was Ash who got her to the hospital, where he then said very meaningful words to her (she wasn't entirely asleep at that time, but was unable to respond to him in any way). Last, but not least, he'd sacrificed a whole afternoon of training his Pokémon to help her with shopping. And what an experience that turned out to be.

May's mind raced with thoughts. They all told her one distinct thing: she was madly in love with Ash Ketchum. She smiled at the thought of his image. Then she thought of Johto, and her smile faded.

Tomorrow, she'd be heading back to Johto, where she would pick up where she and Drew left off. However, May believed there was a reason she had been brought here besides what the evildoers wanted with her. She felt that the reason for her being here was so that she could be reunited with Ash.

Her crush on him had never died, though it had dwindled down to the point of being nearly forgotten. When she saw him, it returned, but with more tenacity than ever before. Now, it was likely beyond a silly girlish crush on some cute boy. It was love, and she knew it.

May comforted herself by saying she'd do something to Ash before getting on her boat tomorrow. She sighed happily before letting sleep take her into the dreamworld.

* * *

Ash, too, had seen more relaxing nights. He felt as sad now as he did when Dawn broke up with him about a week ago. But that wasn't the reason for his sadness – he'd since dried his tears from that account.

Tomorrow marked the day he, Brock, and Dawn would be flown towards Pastoria City, where their original plans would be resumed. Ash supposed he should be excited, yet something was definitely bothering him, and he could only think of one thing.

_May._

Ever since he found her in the prison-like basement of the Viridian City office building, he felt his crush on her return with an unusual vigor. Maybe it was that he was older, or that she was more attractive. Regardless, he was sad she'd be leaving him again.

Thinking hard, Ash then thought of the perfect way to solve his dilemma. It was a small thing, but he thought it would be better than how he'd been going it before. With a small smile, he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Sweet, I got a decent-length chapter posted! Again, sorry for the wait. To sort of make amends, I also posted another fanfic for you to enjoy – see my profile. ****Now the conclusion!**


	25. Something I Wanted To Tell You

**Chapter 25: Something I Wanted To Tell You**

**My last chapter for this story, and hopefully, my best yet! Okay, more chitchat later. For now, let's wrap this all up!**

* * *

Ash and May were both awake, dressed, and had breakfast in their stomachs before the sun rose. Everyone else was still asleep, but would be awake shortly. In a couple of hours, the group would be split back into what it was before this whole adventure had begun. Because of that, everyone had some time left to be together before it was time to say goodbye.

Neither of them had seen each other this morning, and that was how they'd wanted it for the time being. Both had surprises in mind for each other, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the other were to know.

* * *

May's destination was just on the outskirts of town, about a half hour's walk from the Pokémon center. She'd been reading her guidebook for information about the Sevii islands, and through interactions with the locals, she knew exactly which island. The guidebook went on to indicate that there was a renowned berry patch nearby, and that's where May was headed.

Sure enough, the shaded cove was just filled with bushes and trees loaded with all sorts of berries. Better yet, there were no other people or Pokémon in the area. Having made several pokéblocks before, May knew what kinds of berries would blend best with others. Nonetheless, she picked at least one of each kind of berry that grew in the cove.

Of course, merely picking the berries was not enough. Even with breakfast consumed, May still couldn't resist the temptation to eat some berries. Some were sweet, and some were sour, but they were all nutritious.

Satisfied with her haul, she began heading back the way she came. The pack that rested on her hips was full to bursting, so she smiled, knowing exactly what to do with them. Meanwhile, the sun began shining on the ground, so May had to hurry with her task.

Once she reached the Pokémon center, she proceeded to the room that had the berry blender in it. She then placed berries in the blender in the combination that would yield the best results. After ten minutes, all of the berries had been made into pokéblocks. May pulled out both her pokéblock case and a small linen sack. Keeping only a few of the blocks for herself, May placed the remaining majority into the sack (along with the note she wrote when she first woke up this morning), which she then placed back into her pack. She then went to the lobby to greet her companions.

* * *

Concurrently, Ash was also on a quest of his own. His hat was on his head, his wallet was in his pocket, and Pikachu was on his shoulder.

_Wait, did I just count Pikachu as an accessory?_

Ash smirked at his blunder before reminding himself of his intended destination. In fact, it was the very place he'd spent yesterday afternoon at with May. The mall.

When he got there, the main building's doors had just been unlocked to begin the day, and a few stores were already open. Ash checked the store directory to confirm the location of the particular shop he wanted to visit.

A sigh of relief escaped Ash's mouth as he came to the jewelry store and found it to have just opened for business. He went in to take a look around. He decided that the gift he wanted to give May would be something meaningful, but not making any kind of exaggerations. He certainly didn't want to give her the wrong idea!

Ash browsed through the necklaces carefully, both hanging on racks, and in the display cases. He ruled out rings – that would be going too far. Conversely, a bracelet didn't look like it would go far enough. Hence, his final decision. The question was, what would she like that would also send across the desired message?

Browsing took a bit longer than he first thought. The first necklace he examined was a simple bead necklace – _cheap and boring, not to mention, not packed with enough emotion._ Then there was a gold necklace – _WHOA! I am NOT paying that much!_

Finally, the perfect gift caught his eye. It was clearly a necklace, but wasn't at all like the others he'd previously looked at. This one was made of a rope-like material (hemp rope, to be specific) which had small silver beads tied into it at repeating segments. The two ends were connected by a silver charm that was shaped into the outline of a heart.

_Perfect. Just perfect,_ Ash thought as he checked the price (VERY reasonable!). Without delay, he purchased the necklace and took it in its corresponding jewel box. Once he and Pikachu got outside, Ash took out the folded note he'd written earlier out of his pocket and placed it inside the box along with the necklace. Now that he was satisfied, he turned and headed back out the mall towards the Pokémon center.

* * *

Later that morning, everybody gathered at the docks, where May, Drew, and Max all purchased tickets back to their previous lands of adventure. May and Drew would return to Olivine City on the same ferry, while Max would then take the ferry bound for the port in Dewford Town. Ash, Brock, and Dawn would all take a plane ride to the airport outside Pastoria City. It was time for the grand parting.

Everybody's hearts were heavy at this moment. Although they'd been together for not quite a week, it was still time they'd spent together. Time that would not be thrown aside so easily. Of course, there was no way around the inevitability that today would split them off to their own destinies once again.

Max was the first to leave. With eyes clearly reflecting his sorrow, he shook hands with his friends, hugged May, then gathered his baggage and boarded the ferry bound for Dewford Town. As the ship began moving away from the dock, Max stood at the railing, waving farewell to the people on the dock who were waving back at him. He headed to his own cabin and slowly dozed off. He'd be back in Hoenn before he woke.

* * *

Meanwhile, the ship heading to Olivine City began loading passengers. For four particular people, this was the moment they'd been dreading. Goodbyes were never easy for them, and this proved to be no exception.

A teary-eyed Dawn took Drew into a passionate embrace before making him promise to call her as often as he could. Reluctantly, they broke apart and Drew began walking towards Ash, May, and Brock.

"C'mon, May…" Drew said, taking May's hand and starting to lead her to the loading ramp into the ship. May resisted.

"Actually…I have something I want to do first, Drew…" she said, gently pulling her hand away from Drew's.

"Okay, but make it quick. I'll be waiting on the deck for you," he said before boarding. May walked the few feet back to where Ash and Brock stood. She faced Brock.

"Um…could…could you give me and Ash a moment, Brock?" she asked as sweetly as she could.

"Uh…okay," Brock said, then slowly walked about thirty feet from the two. May now turned to face Ash and Pikachu, who was on his usual perch. The look in her face told the little mouse he wasn't wanted around, either, so he hopped off Ash's shoulder to join Brock.

* * *

Ash guessed why Pikachu took off, and he was also glad to be alone with the girl standing before him. He gulped before beginning to speak.

"So, uh, I guess you're ready to go back to Johto and pick up where you left of, huh?"

"Mm-hm. And you're ready for the trials of Sinnoh again?"

"Yup."

There was a bit of a very awkward silence between the two that lasted a moment before Ash spoke again.

"Um…Good luck with all your contests, I guess. I'll be rooting for you!"

"Aw, thanks, Ash. I hope you do well in your challenges, too! That reminds me…" May said as she opened her pack and fished out the sack she'd prepared earlier. She held it out to Ash.

"Take this. I think you might find it helpful!" she said with a small smile.

Ash took the sack, and, removing his own pack, placed it inside. He then pulled out his own gift.

"I kinda got you something too. Kinda just so that you'll have something to remember me by," he said as May took it out of his hands. She saw the package was shaped like a box, but didn't know what it was. Of course, it was implied she shouldn't do so until she was en route to Johto.

"Ash, that's so sweet of you! Thank you!" she said with a smile. Her face then dimmed some.

"Do you think…you can keep in touch with me?" she asked.

"Of course, May. If you'll keep in contact with me as well."

"You know I will, Ashy."

Ash walked forward and wrapped his arms around May's body, and she lifted her arms and hugged him around his torso. Tears began streaming down May's cheeks and onto the shoulder on which her head rested. Ash, too, was also unable to stop the flow of waterworks from his eyes. Slowly, May pulled back slightly.

Ash then felt something warm and soft on his cheek, and immediately blushed as he realized that May was kissing him. For a few seconds, he was in heaven. Then, May pulled away reluctantly.

"I gotta go. Bye, Ash!" May said, trying to smile.

"Bye, May! I hope to see you again soon!" Ash replied, also forcing a smile.

May grinned at him, before turning and heading over to Brock and Pikachu to say her farewells. Meanwhile, Ash blushed as he rubbed the spot where May had smooched him.

* * *

A short while later, the ship raised its ramp and began moving. From the deck, May and Drew waved their sayonaras to their companions on the docks. Brock and Ash watched the ship as it got smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing on the horizon.

Ash looked around, then seemed alarmed.

"Hey, Brock? Where's Dawn?"

Brock had an embarrassed look on his face. "Oh, um…I think I saw her heading back to the Pokémon center after Drew got on board. That was about when you were talking to May."

Ash nodded. "Let's get going, then. Our plane leaves in a few minutes, and I don't wanna miss it."

With one last look at the sea, the two of them headed back into the town to find Dawn and rush to the airport to secure their seats on the next plane bound for the Sinnoh region.

* * *

The ship cruised along the waves at high speeds. It was moving so fast that the passengers now had to remain inside their cabins for almost the entire journey to Olivine. Inside one such cabin was a boy and a girl.

The green-haired boy was snoozing on his bed. Across the room, the brunette girl couldn't find any sleep. Her departure was still to recent for her mind to give her any peace. Thoughts nearly drove her mad, until she remembered the small box in her pack. Grabbing it and pulling out the box, May slowly lifted up the lid.

A piece of paper fell out. May set down the box as she unfolded the paper and read the note on it.

_My Dear May_, (_I'm dear to him!_ May thought excitedly)

_I dunno what to write, so I'll just start by saying what a wonderful feeling it's been to be back with you. __I am pleased to see how much you've grown as a coordinator, as well as a person. You've always been my friend, even as I traveled through Sinnoh, and you still are. And you always will be. I hope you like this gift, and that you'll remember me every time you look at it. Well, I just wanna say that…wow, this is hard even to write. Maybe I can tell you later. I HOPE I can tell you later! But good luck in Johto! Go win that Grand Festival for me!_

(Something that looked like "Love" had been poorly crossed out) _Sincerely, Ash _(May smiled at the crossed-out word)

_PS: Aw, what the heck. May, I love you! This is something I wanted to tell you before you left for the contests in Johto, but it took me being separ__ated from you for me to realize__ that._

May almost swooned as she read the postscript. _He does love me!!!_ May felt her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to shout and jump for joy, but that would wake Drew, so instead, she let out a long, happy sigh. Folding up the letter, she placed it in her pack. She then held up the necklace and immediately fell in love with it. _Awww…_ May sighed again. She then placed it over her head and let it hang from her neck. The charm hung above where her cleavage would be, and she smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror.

* * *

Ash's ears had finally adjusted to the changes in atmospheric pressure as the plane he and his traveling companions were on finished its ascent into the sky. Beside him, Dawn, Brock, and Pikachu were all fast asleep, apparently not as sensitive to air pressure as Ash. He sighed, but then decided now would be a good time to see what May got him.

Carefully getting out of his seat, Ash opened the overhead compartment and pulled out his pack. He found the sack easily, and placed it on his lap as he sat down again. Slowly, he opened the bag. As the cloth fell flat, Ash saw that it was loaded with several colorful pokéblocks, plus a small, folded note, which he began reading.

_Hiya, Ash!_

_Um, since I didn't know what all to get you, I decided to make this a personalized gift. It is my hope that you are able to use these pokéblocks to win some battles. I know battling is your thing but…ah! I don't even know what to write! Well, I guess I just want to say good luck, and here's hoping you make it to the top!_

_Actually, that's not all I wanna write. Ash…I wasn't entirely asleep that one day in the hospital. I heard what you said to me. I was deeply touched by all that. __But the truth is, I'M the one who's lucky to have a friend like you. Seriously, you've saved my life more times than I can count!_

_I also got this, since the pokéblocks won't be around forever. I've had this with me for a long time, but I'm giving it to you so you can remember me and all the good times we've had together._

_It saddens me to see you leaving once again, so I hope you'll stay in touch with me more this time around, okay? I'll let you know if anything major happens! Good luck with the Sinnoh league!_

_-May_

_P.S.: __Um…one more thing. It's kinda hard to write,__ Ash, but this is from the heart, and it's something I wanted to tell you before we parted paths__. Ash…I love you. I have since the day I __first saw you in Littleroot town all those long months ago. Please don't ever let our bond be cast aside! My heart is yours always…_ ()

Ash blushed as he saw a reddish sort of oval following the text in the postscript. He then smiled as he realized it was May's lipstick that left a mark when she kissed the paper there, though she undoubtedly meant to have it on Ash's lips.

Smiling, Ash pocketed the letter then pushed aside some of the colored blocks and found a photograph. He almost gasped as he realized the day this picture was taken.

In it, he and May stood back-to-back, each smiling and holding half of a contest ribbon. Ash fondly recalled that contest, where he and May tied. Since there was only one ribbon for the two of them, he had his Sceptile slice it in half. In fact, even to this day, Ash still carried his half of that ribbon, and he knew she still carried hers.

Ash also put the photo in his pocket with the note in it, and he closed up the sack. Right now, he could have shouted his zeal from a mountaintop. However, a plane's interior is not a true mountaintop, and nobody would be happy if he woke them from their slumber. In lieu of that, he merely smiled and squirmed in his seat, unable to control himself. Today, he had his heart intertwined with its counterpoint in another. And it was the best feeling in the world.

**THE END**

* * *

**Wow. Almost one month to the day since I started writing this. And now, it's done…I don't know if I should be happy or sad that it's gotten to this point. Anyway, now that this fanfic has reached its conclusion, I guess I'll reflect on it to feel better.**

**This being my first fiction on FF, I feel extremely proud of this work. Ultimately, it turned out even better than I had originally imagined. Interestingly, I did some research to try and get caught up on the anime after unintentionally taking a hiatus from it (as some of you hinted, I sorta screwed up some personalities…sorry!), but I hope the characters were ****believable**** enough to seem real. Also, virtually none of the plot was set in stone as I began. In each chapter, I would jot down the first good idea that came to me, and before long, boom, there's a chapter! Of course, I'm the kind of writer who just writes his mind. Looks pretty good.**

**I do, however, feel disappointed in how I showed off my villains. Namely, I didn't elaborate on the Rocketshipping theme as much as I thought I would, but then again, getting the Contest/Pearlshippings to dissolve, and Advance/(Whatever-I don't know what the name of Dawn X Drew is…)shipping to form took way more effort than anticipated. Nonetheless, I did bring it to light, so I tried, to say the least. Also, some of your reviews indicated you were ****less than pleased with how I showed the standoff between Ash and Giovanni. I'm gonna have to say I agree with you – that's one of the things that, looking back, I think could've been done better. Ah, well…water under the bridge. At least now, I have an idea of how to portray Giovanni for future reference. Needs to be much more evil ;)**

**Looking at things with a glass half-full perspective now, I'm really happy about how I did the Pokémon battles, as well as giving consideration to character development. It is my hope that the characters were realistic, and that the situations played out to your enjoyment. I know it did mine…****These last few chapters were short, but I think the content was really good, especially since I finally got the ball rolling on the Advanceshipping stuff (Ash and May forever!).**

**Finally, I have an important announcement to make. As I was writing, a few chapters ago, I decided the ending was good, but could be elaborated upon. However, said elaborations probably wouldn't fit into this work, so I've decided to write a sequel!!! However, I have a few ideas that need serious refinement before I can begin. Also, I'm inviting you to give some input on the ideas I have, so as to help make the next story more enjoyable for you. Here's what I've thought of so far:**

**-Traveling Party: Who all should go (besides Ash and May)?**** Or shall I leave the two lovers by themselves? Think carefully about this – there's bound to be some sort of trade-off…**

**-Location: I was thinking of having the next region being here in the US, but if you've got anything better, or would like to make suggestions on this, I'd love to hear them.**

**-Pokémon: Who should everyone bring with them (obviously, Pikachu won't be happy without Ash, so he's automatically in)****? I have one idea in mind for each of the two trainers, but I've got my mind set on that, and I'll make it a surprise for you! Again, give careful consideration to this.**

**-Villain: I've decided to create an entirely new villain guild, which I may call "Team Nefarious". They'll use various types of Pokémon. Once more, suggestions in this department are welcome!**

**-Rival: Shall I have someone to bug our protagonists? Ideas I have are Paul, Gary Oak, and Brendan Birch. ****Input is valued, as if you needed to be reminded…**

**-Team Rocket: Shall I have the comedic trio continue to harass the protagonists, or do they deserve a rest this time around? I'm thinking I might keep them, just for comedic relief, but your opinions matter to me.**

**If I hear nothing on any of these, then I shall write in my own ideas for the topic. Again, I already have ideas, I just need to refine them, and adjust them as per suggestions. I will probably start the sequel as early as next week.**

**Well, that's it! I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading **_**Something I Wanted To Tell You**_** as much as I did writing it! Please leave comments as always, and I look forward to continuing to appeal to you as my audience. Finally, a big thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, and favoriting! You guys ROCK!**

**-ShadowKing1988**


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